disservice

D2I1S1S1E1R1V4I1C3E1
UK/dɪ(s)ˈsɜːvɪs/US/dɪ(s)ˈsɝvɪs/

noun

Service that results in harm; an (intentionally or unintentionally) unhelpful, harmful action.

“One renders young people a disservice by heaping unearned rewards on them.”

Similar
ill serviceill turn
Opposite
Less commonScrabble 16

Meanings

noundisservice (countable and uncountable, plural disservices)

plural disservices

  1. countableuncountableService that results in harm; an (intentionally or unintentionally) unhelpful, harmful action.

    One renders young people a disservice by heaping unearned rewards on them.

    2 more examples

    Often schools of music focus solely on the canon of Western classical art music, but this is a disservice to music educators who will have to deal with students from many different backgrounds and preferences.

    2014, Michele Kaschub, Janice Smith, Promising Practices in 21st Century Music Teacher Education, Oxford University Press, →ISBN

    Treating narratives like something you can stretch out to give more value does a disservice to players and our engagement.

    2018 July 5, Sam Greer, “Games want to offer us many roads but Kentucky Route Zero is the one road that matters”, in Eurogamer
verbdisservice (third-person singular simple present disservices, present participle disservicing, simple past and past participle disserviced)

present singular third person disservices · participle present disservicing · participle past disserviced · past disserviced

  1. To disserve, to provide a disservice to; to provide harmful or inadequate service to.

    One librarian said, "I could double the circulation tomorrow by closing the periodical stacks and counting every time I handed out a magazine, but I would be disservicing our readers."

    1975, Sarah Katharine Thomson, Learning resource centers in community colleges

Synonyms & antonyms

nounan act intended to help that turns out badly

Similar
ill serviceill turn
Opposite
Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latindis-
  2. Old Frenchdes-
  3. Latindis-
  4. Middle Englishdis-
  5. Englishdis-
  6. Englishservice
  7. Englishdisservice

From dis- + service.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech medvědí služba
  • medvědí službaservice that results in harm
Finnish karhunpalvelus
  • karhunpalvelusservice that results in harm
French mauvais service, desservice
  • mauvais serviceservice that results in harm
  • desserviceservice that results in harm
German Bärendienst, schlechter Dienst
  • Bärendienstservice that results in harm
  • schlechter Dienstservice that results in harm
  • Schadenservice that results in harm
Hindi अपकार
  • अपकार (apkār)service that results in harm
Lithuanian meškos paslauga
  • meškos paslaugaservice that results in harm
Polish niedźwiedzia przysługa
  • niedźwiedzia przysługaservice that results in harm
Portuguese desserviço
  • desserviçoservice that results in harm
Romanian deserviciu
  • deserviciuservice that results in harm
Spanish flaco favor, deservicio
  • flaco favorservice that results in harm
  • deservicioservice that results in harm
Swedish björntjänst
  • björntjänstservice that results in harm
Cite this entry
APA

disservice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disservice

MLA

“disservice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disservice. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disservice,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disservice.

Source: disservice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.