downside

noun

down·​side ˈdau̇n-ˌsīd 

1

: a downward trend (as of prices)

2

: a negative aspect

the downside of fame

Synonyms

• debit
• disadvantage
• disbenefit
• drawback
• handicap
• incommodity
• liability
• minus
• negative
• strike

Examples of downside in a Sentence

He could find no downside to the car.

the downside of living in the country is, of course, the long commute to work

Recent Examples on the Web

There is so much upside and so little downside with this player for GB. R Richard A. · 3h 13m ago Interested to see what both Simmons and Hardman can bring to the team as reclamation projects. —Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 16 June 2025

Lu’s assessment of the April USITC data uncovered a surprising downside—namely, for America’s nearshore neighbors. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 13 June 2025

The inherent uncertainty often leads to agonizing over ‘what-ifs’ —the potential risks and downsides of choosing a particular path, sometimes even the worst possible outcomes. —John Hall, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025

Pest Management Without Harming Fireflies The one downside of creating a habitat for fireflies is that the damp environment can also cause mosquitoes and other pests to multiply. —Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 11 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1905, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing downside

• on the downside

Rhymes for downside

• abide
• allied
• applied
• aside
• astride
• azide
• backside
• bankside
• bastide
• bayside
• bedside
• belied