DISSERVICE

Pronunciation (US):

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does disservice mean? 

• DISSERVICE (noun)
  The noun DISSERVICE has 1 sense:

1. an act intended to help that turns out badly

  Familiarity information: DISSERVICE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DISSERVICE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An act intended to help that turns out badly

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

disservice; ill service; ill turn

Context example:

he did them a disservice

Hypernyms ("disservice" is a kind of...):

injury (an act that causes someone or something to receive physical damage)

Antonym:

service (an act of help or assistance)

 Context examples 

Believe me, my dear Miss Elizabeth, that your modesty, so far from doing you any disservice, rather adds to your other perfections.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

She was afraid she had done her nothing but disservice.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Miss Crawford's beauty did her no disservice with the Miss Bertrams.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

His opinion of her had been sinking from the day of his return from Antigua: in every transaction together from that period, in their daily intercourse, in business, or in chat, she had been regularly losing ground in his esteem, and convincing him that either time had done her much disservice, or that he had considerably over-rated her sense, and wonderfully borne with her manners before.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)