Synonyms of reversal

reversal

noun

ri-ˈvər-səl 

1

as in reverse

a change in status for the worse usually temporarily

the company's long-term strategy is sound, and they should be able to weather this latest reversal

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reverse
• setback
• reversion
• lapse
• decline
• knock
• disappointment
• downfall
• turnaround
• regression
• frustration
• breakdown
• collapse
• fall
• recession
• letdown
• turnabout
• relapse
• undoing
• retrogression
• comedown
• descent
• down
• crash
• ruin
• meltdown

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• status quo

2

as in turnaround

a changing from one policy or point of view to virtually its exact opposite

parents need to be consistent in their discipline policy, as reversals will only undermine the whole process

Synonyms & Similar Words

• turnaround
• change of heart
• denial
• turnabout
• volte-face
• about-face
• hesitation
• about-turn
• U-turn
• flip-flop
• retraction
• retreat
• wobbling
• reconsideration
• disavowal
• renunciation
• recantation
• switcheroo
• repudiation
• disaffirmance
• disownment
• second thought
• vacillation
• indecision
• bait and switch
• irresolution
• wavering
• shilly-shallying

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of reversal

This reversal is the result of a trend that started in 2021, after at least thirty years during which the numbers ran in the other direction. — Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2026

The move marks a dramatic reversal for the Art in Embassies program, which awarded Wiley its Medal of Arts in 2015 and commissioned the work as cultural diplomacy. — George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

After the reversal was finalized in May, Garcia Torres invoked his speedy trial rights and is being represented by a familiar face in Lopez, who defended him during the original trial. — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 24 Aug. 2026

But the association will not advertise a destination until the tribe or business approves its description – a small reversal of the old roadside economy, in which outsiders invented Native identities for signs and souvenirs. — Harry Bruinius, Christian Science Monitor, 24 Aug. 2026