adj.
- Deprived of some of the basic necessities or advantages of life, such as adequate housing, medical care, or educational facilities.
- Being at a disadvantage, especially with respect to competitive or opposing elements or forces: "We can't have . . . disadvantaged conventional forces on one hand and strategic nuclear forces on the other" (Bernard Rogers).
Deprived people considered as a group. Often used with the.
disadvantagedness dis'ad·van'taged·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
