first-mover disadvantage

noun

A situation in which a company or individual that creates or introduces a new idea, product, or service is later at a disadvantage because others are able to copy or improve upon it, making the original seem less innovative or valuable, or because of other factors, such as breaking down barriers (at a cost) that others thus won't have to face.

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Meanings

nounfirst-mover disadvantage (plural first-mover disadvantages)

plural first-mover disadvantages

  1. idiomaticA situation in which a company or individual that creates or introduces a new idea, product, or service is later at a disadvantage because others are able to copy or improve upon it, making the original seem less innovative or valuable, or because of other factors, such as breaking down barriers (at a cost) that others thus won't have to face.
Cite this entry
APA

first-mover disadvantage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first-mover%20disadvantage

MLA

“first-mover disadvantage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first-mover%20disadvantage. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “first-mover disadvantage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/first-mover%20disadvantage.

Source: first-mover disadvantage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.