Word family noun advantage ≠ disadvantage the disadvantaged adjective advantageous ≠ disadvantageous advantaged ≠ disadvantaged verb disadvantage adverb advantageously ≠ disadvantageously
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdisadvantagedis‧ad‧van‧tage1 /ˌdɪsədˈvɑːntɪdʒ $ -ˈvæn-/ ●●● W2 noun [countable, uncountable] DISADVANTAGEsomething that causes problems, or that makes someone or something less likely to be successful or effective OPP advantagedisadvantage of The disadvantage of the material is that it fades in strong sunlight.disadvantage to There are some big disadvantages to marriage – you do lose a lot of your freedom. Criminal behaviour can be linked to economic disadvantage.COLLOCATIONSadjectivesthe main disadvantageThe main disadvantage of iron as a material is its weight.a big/great/major disadvantageThis method has one major disadvantage: its cost.a serious/severe disadvantagePublic transport is very bad here, which is a serious disadvantage.a slight/minor disadvantageChildren who are young in their school year sometimes have a slight disadvantage.a further/additional/added disadvantageIt’s a very small garden and it has the further disadvantage of facing north.social/economic/educational disadvantageUnemployment often leads to social disadvantage.verbshave a disadvantageCheap air travel has considerable environmental disadvantages.suffer (from) a disadvantage formalWorking-class boys suffer disadvantages in the educational system.overcome a disadvantage (=succeed in spite of a disadvantage)She was able to overcome the disadvantages of race and poverty.phrasessomebody is at a disadvantage (=someone has a disadvantage)The company was at a disadvantage compared with its competitors.put/place somebody at a disadvantage (=make someone less likely to be successful than others)Not speaking English might put you at a disadvantage.be/work to the disadvantage of somebody (=make someone unlikely to be successful)This system works to the disadvantage of women.advantages and disadvantages (=the good and bad features of something)Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of working from home.the advantages outweigh the disadvantages (=there are more advantages than disadvantages)The advantages of building the new road would outweigh the disadvantages. THESAURUSdisadvantage noun [countable] a bad feature that something has, which makes it less good or less useful than other thingsWhat do you think are the disadvantages of nuclear energy?This car uses a lot of fuel, which is a major disadvantage.drawback noun [countable] a bad feature that something has, although it has advantages that are usually more importantOne of the main drawbacks is the price. bad point noun [countable] especially spoken a bad feature that something hasAll of these designs have both their good points and bad points.the downside noun [singular] the disadvantage of a situation that in most other ways seems good or enjoyableIt’s a great job. The only downside is that I don’t get much free time. Examples from the Corpus
disadvantage• A review of on-site fire protection equipment available for fighting fires in high-bay warehouses stating its advantages and disadvantages.• Like many other black families, his family had to struggle to overcome social and economic disadvantage.• The main disadvantages, apart from cost, is their considerable weight and the fact that they can chip.• The main disadvantage of being a nurse is working irregular hours.• Your main disadvantage is your lack of job experience.• The proposal has some major disadvantages.• Our goal is to try to provide financial help people in our community with a lot of disadvantages.• The intertidal zones circumvent the two outstanding disadvantages of marine living.• While the yield to maturity is the single most commonly used measure of yield, it nevertheless has several disadvantages.• The Association is on record for many years high-lighting the disadvantages of this type of pay scheme.• She says the advantages for children going on line far outweigh the disadvantages, particularly as on line applies to schoolwork.• Soviet space science suffers the disadvantage of poor technology, particularly in electronics, which is years behind that of the West.• When this is done, there is a tendency for other artists to be compared with the leader to their disadvantage.disadvantage to• One disadvantage to this plan is that you can't choose your own doctor.disadvantagedisadvantage2 verb [transitive] to make someone less likely to be successful or to put them in a worse situation than others→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
disadvantage• Asked if he thought an over-emphasis on sport could disadvantage black kids in academic subjects, he answered: No.• She did best in the interview, the part of the application process which was said to disadvantage comprehensive school students.• Geographical accident must not be allowed to disadvantage individuals in their ability to gain access to good local care.• In particular, there are complex rules which disadvantage married women.• And the selective system does not seem to disadvantage those at the bottom of the class.• There are two forms of inequality related to occupational pensions which also serve to disadvantage very elderly women, especially widows.• The use of discriminatory language can and does disadvantage women and members of ethnic minority groups.• However, contemporary interpretations of customary law largely disadvantage women. 