désavantager

"To put at a disadvantage" or "to disadvantage" — a common, everyday verb for describing an unfair or unequal situation, from sports and games to social and economic contexts (ce système désavantage les petites entreprises).

• Cette règle désavantage clairement les débutants. — This rule clearly disadvantages beginners.
• Le système fiscal désavantage les travailleurs indépendants. — The tax system puts self-employed workers at a disadvantage.
• Sa blessure l'a désavantagé pendant tout le match. — His injury put him at a disadvantage throughout the match.

Learners sometimes confuse désavantager with the noun désavantage used as if it were a verb — remember the actual verb form takes the -er conjugation like any regular verb: il désavantage, not il est désavantage.

Often confused with avantager.