SET BACK Synonyms: 103 Similar and Opposite Words

setback 1 of 2

noun

ˈset-ˌbak

Definition of setback

as in reversal

a change in status for the worse usually temporarily The explorers persevered despite suffering setbacks that would have discouraged lesser souls.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

status quo

set back

2 of 2

verb

as in to hold back

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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 setback

Noun

Nearly three years — which included one Tommy John surgery and multiple setbacks — separated his first MLB start from his second. — Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 5 July 2026 Publicly, the White House is shrugging off the legal setbacks. — Toluse Olorunnipa, The Atlantic, 4 July 2026

Verb

The rules would restrict data center water use by requiring closed loop cooling systems, and would increase set back requirements to put more space between data center buildings and nearby homes and businesses. — Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 July 2026 This story takes off from the premise that Jean Grey survived the Dark Phoenix episode but was set back in her character. — Rob Salkowitz, Forbes.com, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for setback

Recent Examples of Synonyms for setback

Noun

The United States is in the grips of one of the most drastic reversals of green energy infrastructure currently underway on our increasingly warm world.

— Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 9 July 2026
Hollywood largely stayed away in 2025, so early signs point to a reversal this year.

— Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026

Definition of reversal

Verb

But that's not the only thing holding back first-time buyers.

— Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 7 July 2026
According to the 2025 State of Document Workflows and Compliance Risk Report, 31% of executives holding back on fully automating documentation cited fear of losing manual oversight or approval control as a major factor.

— Brian Stimpfl, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of hold back

Noun

The Charlotte Latin Mass Community, which once helped Latin Masses spread to more than a dozen locations, saw that expansion reverse after Pope Francis restricted the older rite in 2021.

— Emily Broyles, Charlotte Observer, 10 July 2026
Indeed, as Cloudflare expands from reverse-proxy and cybersecurity protection into hosting, storage, and compute, CSAM litigation may emerge as a governance, regulatory, and business-model risk.

— Bhakti Mirchandani, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of reverse

Verb

The Royals didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, however, falling 6-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the series opener.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 July 2026
That enabled Atlas to run through the same actions millions of times in parallel across cloud GPUs, learning to adapt to imperfect conditions until the behavior held up reliably.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 5 July 2026

Definition of hold up

Verb

Evan Longoria was inducted into the Rays Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony, which delayed the first pitch by 25 minutes.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026
Rayfield also asked a state circuit court judge to delay the closing of the deal by 60 days so that his office could review the documents.

— Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 11 July 2026

Definition of delay

Verb

McCoy was detained the following month and subsequently arrested and booked into the San Diego Central Jail.

— Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 July 2026
One defendant in the case was ordered removed by an immigration judge and departed before trial, while Yepez was detained by ICE as the Los Angeles Police Department closed in.

— James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of detain

Verb

As engine revs increase, centrifugal force alters the valve timing by a few degrees, either advancing or retarding it.

— Utkarsh Sood June 17, New Atlas, 17 June 2025
Genesis Yes, the thing retarding recruitment below pre-2022 levels may be, at least in part, a military-wide health-records update that, much like MyChart in the civilian health-care world, tracks the medications of all service members.

— Luther Ray Abel, National Review, 9 Feb. 2024

Definition of retard

Browse Nearby Words

set at

setback

set back

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setback. Accessed 12 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of setback

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on setback

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

fulcrum

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

The Words of the Week - Jul 10

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes