A situation or factor that increases costs rather than saving them; the opposite of economy; waste or inefficiency.
From dis- (opposite) + economy (from Greek oikonomia meaning household management). The opposite formation of 'economy', indicating cost increase rather than savings.
Manufacturing experts use 'diseconomy of scale' to describe why making something in massive quantities might actually cost MORE per unit—sometimes factories get so huge they become inefficient and bloated.
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