as in reversal
a change in status for the worse usually temporarily
the colonists persevered despite suffering setbacks that would have discouraged lesser souls
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to hold back
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of setback
Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The latest setback was an ugly 98-86 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night at State Farm Arena that dropped the Heat to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
But if these efforts are seen as a Musk program, NASA could get political pushback, potentially setting back the dream of sending humans to Mars for another generation.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for setback
Noun
There is no straightforward way for Iran to recover from the setbacks of the last year.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
The latest setback was an ugly 98-86 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night at State Farm Arena that dropped the Heat to ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
Eliminating programs designed to elevate the quality of education will set back efforts to improve the teaching profession and student outcomes.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
But if these efforts are seen as a Musk program, NASA could get political pushback, potentially setting back the dream of sending humans to Mars for another generation.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for setback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setback
Noun
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Instead, multiple headwinds seem to be working in conjunction to cause the sell-off, including a reversal of technical factors that drove the previous rally.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The result showed some diminished support for Ukraine, because previous assembly votes saw more than 140 nations condemn Russia’s aggression, demand an immediate withdrawal, and reversal of its annexation of four Ukrainian regions.—
Edith M. Lederer,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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No European military, not even the EU collectively, possesses the deterrent force necessary to hold back Moscow, which is now backed by a broader axis of evil.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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Gary Marcus, professor emeritus of psychology and neural science at New York University, has directly critiqued the claims of tech CEOs like Altman, pointing out the numerous technical issues holding back the development of true AGI.—
Will McCurdy,
PCMAG,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The woman woke up, put the vehicle in reverse and tried to flee, police said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacramento Bee,
23 Feb. 2025
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Throwing our economic growth in reverse by imposing harmful tariffs and repealing existing laws will only leave the U.S. auto industry in the dust.—
Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology,
Forbes,
23 Feb. 2025
Verb
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This one is brandished by a masked robber holding up the luxury hotel's store.—
Eliana Dockterman,
TIME,
24 Feb. 2025
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And some of the claims Trump and Musk have made about DOGE’s work don’t hold up to scrutiny.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Trump had delayed the tariffs once before to allow more time for talks.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Mar. 2025
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Another feature of Apple’s AI rollout might be delayed, but investors shouldn’t be concerned.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Massachusetts ranked 48th, despite Boston's competitive market, suggesting that high prices and limited inventory are slowing home sales.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
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Any Rockets lineup that features a big and at least one non-shooter is likely to see some form of zone, especially anything to slow down Thompson — who has quickly asserted himself as a star in the making.—
Kelly Iko,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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During Trump’s first presidency, a Manhattan lawyer was recorded threatening to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement on workers who spoke Spanish, and two women in Montana were detained by a Border Patrol agent for speaking Spanish.—
Annie Abbott,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Mar. 2025
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The majority had been detained and held without any charge.—
Nadeen Ebrahim,
CNN,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Blockchain thus provides companies and banks a way to undo Basel II’s and Basel III’s retarding effect on trade finance while complying with their requirements.—
Rebecca Liao,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Aug. 2017
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Turning the lithium oxide—the product of discharging the battery—back to lithium is difficult and only partially possible even when assisted by special catalysts: The oxide builds up and retards the process, limiting the number of charge-discharge cycles to a mere handful.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
31 Jan. 2011
Cite this Entry
“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setback. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.
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