DOWNSIDE Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

downside

noun

ˈdau̇n-ˌsīd

Definition of downside

as in disadvantage

a feature of someone or something that creates difficulty for achieving success the downside of living in the country is, of course, the long commute to work

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of downside Vucic’s ousting shows the downside of that approach, as the whole relationship will have to be rebuilt from the ground up. — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026 The downside is kids might be depleted from a long day and need time to decompress. — Jeff Wagner, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026 The downside of this approach is that Anthropic needs to pay out these costs in advance, without getting a quick return on investment. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2026 Maybe not, but the upside would never trump the downside because the jig was up. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for downside

Recent Examples of Synonyms for downside

Noun

That’s rich coming from the guy who led strikes a few years ago against the Big Three that resulted in today’s incredibly generous labor contracts — one more reason why the companies are at a competitive disadvantage.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026
Retailers that court high-net-worth individuals — such as Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, and Harrods — are at a disadvantage.

— Joe Bobowicz, Vogue, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of disadvantage

Noun

Over 2 summers, my legit handicap is 13 with some rounds near +18 and others at +8.

— Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The driver, Manning said, had been working particularly well, so well that the 10-handicap golfer had just broke 80 for the first time.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of handicap

Noun

But there were also drawbacks, mainly a fear of accidentally spoiling certain events that occur in season six.

— Lisa de los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026
Non-invasive approaches are commonly used, but often have their own drawbacks in reliability, comfort, or convenience.

— Greg Uyeno, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of drawback

Browse Nearby Words

downshifts

downside

downsides

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“Downside.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downside. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of downside

noun

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