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to weigh against

to weigh against

2 5.6
To be a disadvantage compared with another thing
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : pesar en contra de
  • The level of performance obtained should also be weighed against the cost of implementing the system.
  • weighed against the benefits
  • weighed against the cost
  • weighed against the risks

There's like ideologies or principles or things we value that weigh against those costs.

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Examples

  • Greater disclosure also has costs that must be weighed against its capacity to increase the returns generated by capital-utilizing activity.

    Academic text (1998)
  • From a societal perspective, the costs have to be weighed against benefits.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The harmful behavior of an act to society is weighed against the citizens' right to choose.

    Blog text (34)
  • Clausewitz appears to have meant that the results of any war must be weighed against its political context and background.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Under the tripartite standard, foreign sovereign interests are weighed against two case management factors.

    Academic text (2017)
  • In theory, again, the anticompetitive and beneficial effects are weighed against one another.

    Academic text (1995)
  • On the other hand, such considerations must be weighed against the special needs of PAS children.

    Blog text (15)
  • And that has to be weighed against the cost of the colonoscopy, both the financial cost and the risks, which are very low, but not zero.

  • The woman's right to respect for her private life must be weighed against other competing rights and freedoms, including those of the unborn child.

  • When considering a new job offer, you should weigh against the salary and benefits.

Synonyms

to disadvantage
vsto weigh against
18 4.7

To make someone or something less able to succeed than others

is judged as a drawback in comparison rather than causing the harm
to stack up against
vsto weigh against
6.3

To have facts or problems build up and hurt someone

is about being judged a drawback in comparison rather than the buildup of factors

How Damaging

to overwhelm
42 4.0
to weigh against
2 5.6

Surface Forms

weigh against infinitive
weighed against past participle
weighing against present participle
weighs against third person singular

Morphology

weigh + against

The parts 'weigh' (to have or assign weight/evaluate) and 'against' (in comparison to; opposed to) transparently signal a comparative assessment, so learners who know both words can infer that items are being balanced or compared. However, the nuance that something 'weighs against' another as a disadvantage or countervailing factor is a mild metaphorical extension and not fully predictable without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

The phrasal verb weigh against comes from the image of a scale: you weigh one thing and put the other thing against it to see which side is heavier. That's why weigh against now means 'to be a disadvantage' when two things are compared.