1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

disadvantages

noun

plural of disadvantage
1
as in handicaps
a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success their lack of height was a disadvantage on the basketball court

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in expenses
the negative result caused by something that creates difficulty for achieving success intense pretrial publicity worked to our disadvantage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of disadvantages In high-precision applications, second surface mirrors have some very distinct disadvantages. — Literary Hub, 15 Sep. 2026 Consider these advantages and disadvantages before choosing an ARM. — Rebecca Safier, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026 Democrats face fundraising disadvantages compared with Republicans, along with financial debt, and Martin has confronted criticism over his stewardship of the party. — Mike Catalini, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Though the picture has differed from race to race, the candidates have generally espoused a populist, anti-establishment message focused on economic issues, mobilizing their base and overcoming serious funding disadvantages. — Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 In his essay, Zuckerberg wrote that American AI developers face disadvantages against Chinese rivals, including in training data, and argued that policy should reduce those barriers. — Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026 Will universities that decline to participate face disadvantages? — Marybeth Gasman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 As a destination, Titan does have some disadvantages, however. — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 31 July 2026 As De Puy shares, being a drag queen came with its advantages and disadvantages when secluded with over a dozen strangers on a TV set. — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 31 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for disadvantages
  1. handicaps
  2. expenses
  3. liabilities
  4. detriments
  5. drawbacks
  6. losses
  7. shortcomings
  8. penalties
Noun
  • The 6,970-yard course is challenging but fair and open enough for all handicaps, from the proper tees, to have a good time.
    — Langston Wertz Jr, Charlotte Observer, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Of course, blame Dad for any handicaps.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 25 May 2026
Definition of handicaps
Noun
  • On expenses, McDonogh reiterated the bank’s 6%-7% full-year outlook from the second-quarter earnings call.
    — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
  • Residents were forced into lengthy battles with their insurance companies to prove contamination and get help paying for the cleanup and additional living expenses.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of expenses
Noun
  • Across day-to-day commitments, financial and transfer debts, payments due to players and tax authorities and plenty more besides, the club’s liabilities due to be paid in 2026-27 total €905million, unmoved from a year ago.
    — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Shareholder equity, or book value, is a measure of a company’s assets minus liabilities.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of liabilities
Noun
  • The school districts’ joint lawsuit questioned the legality of the program and predicted immediate detriments to class sizes, staff recruitment and retention and student programming.
    — Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Back to where the last film left off, for you what are the benefits of that and what are the detriments?
    — Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 23 July 2026
Definition of detriments
Noun
  • That could, however, come with some drawbacks, Conley noted, like the possibility of the shops creating competition with existing downtown businesses and the difficulty of finding vendors each year.
    — Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Quicken Loans pros and cons As with other marketplaces and mortgage lenders, there are some upsides and drawbacks to consider before using Quicken Loans to connect with a mortgage lender.
    — Dan Simms, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of drawbacks
Noun
  • Advanced transmission technologies can reduce those losses and increase existing network capacity without requiring entirely new lines.
    — Nana Menya Ayensu, semafor.com, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Across a run of six defeats in seven matches, which left his tenure hanging by a thread, the Forest and Brighton losses were the worst.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of losses
Noun
  • While her own family has never stepped foot in Taiwan, Lily holds onto the belief that perfecting her Mandarin will finally reconcile the shortcomings of being a diaspora kid.
    — Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Sep. 2026
  • Ultimately, neither of these design shortcomings outweigh the appliance's convenience.
    — Abbey Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of shortcomings
Noun
  • The House is embarking on its last days in session before breaking for the midterms, with a final vote expected Wednesday on a bill ratcheting up penalties on Russia.
    — Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • However, no individual officials are named in the report and a public inquiry doesn't have the power to make criminal charges or impose penalties.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of penalties

Browse Nearby Words

disadvantageous
disadvantages
disaffect
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Disadvantages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/disadvantages. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of churlish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All