- disadvantage
- nounADJECTIVE▪ big, considerable, decided (esp. AmE), distinct, grave, great, huge, major, obvious, real, serious, severe, significant, substantial▪
Lack of qualifications is an obvious disadvantage.
▪ main, primary (AmE), principal▪ slight▪ added, additional▪ long-term▪ competitive▪These requirements will have to be standardized if some banks are not to suffer a competitive disadvantage.
▪ strategic, tactical (both esp. AmE)▪The fog was giving them a tactical disadvantage.
▪ economic, educational, financial, racial, social, socio-economic▪the problems of racial disadvantage and poverty
▪ cost (esp. AmE)▪This put them at a crippling cost disadvantage.
▪ possible, potential▪A potential disadvantage of this method is that it requires considerable expertise to perform it accurately.
▪ inherent▪the inherent disadvantage that low-income communities face
▪ unfair▪Some students were at an unfair disadvantage.
VERB + DISADVANTAGE▪ experience, face, have, suffer, suffer from▪the disadvantage experienced by older people in the workplace
▪The present system has the disadvantage that nobody really understands how it works.
▪Competition has its disadvantages.
▪ offset, outweigh▪The plan's advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
▪ overcome▪ avoidPREPOSITION▪ at a disadvantage▪We were at a distinct disadvantage compared with children from richer families.
▪There was no reason for her to feel at a disadvantage.
▪ despite a/the disadvantage▪Despite these disadvantages, many older people maintain an active social life.
▪ to sb's disadvantage▪This change in the law will be to the disadvantage of small companies.
▪ disadvantage for▪another disadvantage for the night-worker
▪ disadvantage in▪There are disadvantages in using this treatment.
▪ disadvantage to▪There are disadvantages to all those approaches.
PHRASES▪ advantages and disadvantages▪Each plan has its own advantages and disadvantages.
▪ place sb at a disadvantage, put sb at a disadvantage▪The fact that he didn't speak another language put him at a disadvantage.
Collocations dictionary. 2013.