trade-off.

a situation in which gaining one benefit involves giving up or reducing another

Use it for

Words that belong together

• trade-off between
• unavoidable trade-off
• policy trade-off

On the page

The design involves a trade-off between speed and accuracy.

The report makes the trade-off explicit rather than hiding the cost.

No option entirely removes the trade-off between access and control.

Usage notes

Primary curation section: Academic. Not simply any disadvantage; a trade-off describes competing benefits or objectives. The verb phrase trade off is written separately. Plural: trade-offs. Also written tradeoff.