advantage

English

Alternative forms

• advauntage (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English avantage, avauntage, from Old French avantage, from avant (“before”), from Late Latin ab ante. The spelling with d was a mistake, a- being supposed to be from Latin ad (see advance). For sense development, compare foredeal.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ədˈvɑːn.tɪd͡ʒ/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ədˈvæn.(t)ɪd͡ʒ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

advantage (countable and uncountable, plural advantages)

1. (countable) Any condition, circumstance, opportunity or means, particularly favorable or chance to success, or to any desired end.

   The enemy had the advantage of a more elevated position.

   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     Give me advantage of some brief discourse.

   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 45, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volumes (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     the advantages of a close alliance

   • 2013 June 7, Ed Pilkington, “‘Killer robots’ should be banned in advance, UN told”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 6:

     In his submission to the UN, [Christof] Heyns points to the experience of drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles were intended initially only for surveillance, and their use for offensive purposes was prohibited, yet once strategists realised their perceived advantages as a means of carrying out targeted killings, all objections were swept out of the way.

2. (obsolete) Superiority; mastery; — used with of to specify its nature or with over to specify the other party.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible,  (King James Version), London: Robert Barker, , →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 2:11:

     Lest Satan should get an advantage of us.

3. (countable, uncountable) Superiority of state, or that which gives it; benefit; gain; profit

   the advantage of a good constitution

   Having the faster car is of little advantage.

4. (tennis) The score where one player wins a point after deuce but needs the next to carry the game.
5. (soccer) The continuation of the game after a foul against the attacking team, because the attacking team are in an advantageous position.
   • 2012 November 17, “Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham”, in BBC Sport‎:

     Webb played an advantage that enabled Cazorla to supply a low cross from the left for Giroud to sweep home first time, despite Gallas and Vertonghen being in close attendance.

6. Interest of money; increase; overplus (as the thirteenth in the baker's dozen).
   • c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     And with advantage means to pay thy love.

Synonyms

• (favorable condition or position): edge, vantage
• (superiority of state, positive aspect): benefit, perk, upside, pro, foredeal
• (in tennis): ad

Antonyms

• disadvantage, drawback

Derived terms

Related terms

• advance
• vantage

Translations

Verb

advantage (third-person singular simple present advantages, present participle advantaging, simple past and past participle advantaged)

1. (transitive) to provide (someone) with an advantage, to give an edge to
   • 1655 April 21, “Mr. Ja. Nutley to ſecreary Thurloe.”, in A Collection of the State Papers of John Thurloe, Eſq; , volume III, London: the Executor of the late Mr. Fletcher Gyles; Thomas Woodward,  Charles Davis, , published 1742, page 399:

     I had almoſt forgotten to acquaint your honor, that one major Alford (who was in mr. Love's conſpiracy) was of the graund inqueſt at Saliſbury, and was very zealous in his highneſſe ſervice here, and his good affection and wiſe carriage here, did much advantage the buſſineſe.

2. (reflexive) to do something for one's own benefit; to take advantage of
   • 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 7, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes , book II, London: Val Simmes for Edward Blount , →OCLC:

     No man of courage vouchsafeth to advantage himselfe [translating s'avantager] of that which is common unto many.

Usage notes

• Some authorities object to the use of advantage as a verb meaning "to provide with an advantage".

Synonyms

• favor, favorise
• benefit

Derived terms

• advantageable

Translations

References

• “advantage”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “advantage”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French, see above.

Noun

advantage m (plural advantages)

1. advantage
   • 1595, Michel de Montaigne, Essais:

     Et pour commencer a luy oster son plus grand advantage contre nous, prenons voye toute contraire a la commune.

     And to start removing the biggest advantage it has against us, let's the take opposite route to the usual one.

Related terms

• advantageux

Descendants

• French: avantage
  • → Albanian: avantazh
  • → Greek: αβαντάζ (avantáz)
  • → Polish: awantaż
  • → Portuguese: vantagem
  • → Romanian: avantaj
  • → Spanish: ventaja
  • → Turkish: avantaj