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 The return of federal student loan payments this month threatens to derail prospects for graduates of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a cohort already facing steep economic disadvantages. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2026 Their disadvantages include lower energy storage and the possibility of larger, heavier battery systems. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026 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 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 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
  • In the statement, Skydance said savings would come primarily from combining technology and other operations, such as negotiating deals with suppliers and reducing overlapping marketing expenses as well as consolidating real estate.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Results from consumer goods and aviation majors typically offer an early read on shifting fuel expenses, freight costs, and end consumer demand.
    — , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of expenses
Noun
  • Traditional due diligence can miss back-office technology impacts—liabilities reducing valuation (technical debt, vendor lock-in and cybersecurity exposure) or assets increasing it (scalable platforms and modernized pipelines).
    — Tipu Usha Vaithee Swaran, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Stallone endured an avalanche of rejections from agents who felt his slurry speech and asymmetrical mouth were liabilities — the very traits, of course, that would mark him as an original in a few short years.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 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
  • Opposites react Despite its drawbacks, the federal proposal to schedule 7-OH has some surprising supporters.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Today, there are two main ways to make wood curve, but both have significant drawbacks.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of drawbacks
Noun
  • The average user on both a sportsbook and prediction market loses money, and trying to claw back losses puts users in even deeper financial holes, experts warn.
    — Davis Giangiulio, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Despite the sloppy showing by BYU and a dominant defensive performance, TCU failed to capitalize, as the Horned Frogs continue to struggle to score against Power Four conference teams (averaging 11 points per game, all in losses).
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of losses
Noun
  • The Jets, seeking to address their defensive shortcomings, signed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the offseason.
    — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Others, including Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, who recently launched a crackdown on Venezuelan migrants in his country, will be tempted to stoke xenophobia to deflect blame for policy shortcomings.
    — DAN RESTREPO, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of shortcomings
Noun
  • The Chargers and Seahawks combined for 30 accepted penalties totaling 280 yards on Sunday.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • These are welcome changes, as previously guests were allowed three no-show penalties before their ability to make reservations was restricted, and had to cancel the night before.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 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 8 Oct. 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 etiquette

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

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

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

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All