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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to hold back
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of setback
Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Teel’s setback occurred while running to second base for a double in the sixth inning for Italy against the United States in Houston.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Plans show classrooms, staff and administration space, collaboration areas, a cafeteria and a gym in a building set back off Blue Parkway and Colbern Road.
—Nathan Pilling
march 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for setback
Noun
The commission’s vote doesn’t automatically kill the Costco project, but at the very least is a hard setback after the company appeared to be making inroads against local opposition.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 13 Mar. 2026
Teel’s setback occurred while running to second base for a double in the sixth inning for Italy against the United States in Houston.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
Clocks were set back one hour, making sunrise and sunset each an hour earlier.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 7 Mar. 2026
Plans show classrooms, staff and administration space, collaboration areas, a cafeteria and a gym in a building set back off Blue Parkway and Colbern Road.
—Nathan Pilling
march 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for setback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setback
Noun
-
The reversals highlights how the world’s biggest energy-importing region is being particularly hard hit by the war in the Middle East and the lack of access to oil and fuel from the Persian Gulf.—
Nicholas Lua,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
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Scholars such as the ethnomusicologist Michael Fuhr saw K-pop as a reversal of long-standing narratives, especially in pop music, that accentuated the flow of culture from West to East.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Productivity is rising, but slow deployment is holding back capacity.—
Paul S. Lavoie,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The war has created an opportunity for Russia to make gains in Ukraine, as hostilities draw the global spotlight away from Kyiv and its struggle to hold back the bigger Russian army.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
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People in these groups are more likely to rely on subsistence fishing from the river for protein—and less likely to be able to afford the expensive reverse-osmosis filtration systems that screen out PFAS.—
Patrick Sisson,
Scientific American,
9 Mar. 2026
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And a time when essentially every other media company is stuck in neutral, if not going in reverse, YouTube and Netflix appear to be the only players still able to put their foot and the pedal and accelerate.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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That testing process evaluated firmness levels, good pressure relief, motion isolation, cooling features, and long-term durability, paying close attention to how each mattress held up over time.—
Bailey Berg,
Architectural Digest,
10 Mar. 2026
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Made of durable polypropylene, this option holds up to all weather and can be hosed off for a quick refresh.—
Jacqueline Tempera,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But Democrats would also be allowed to bring up an indefinite number of amendments on any subject, forcing Republicans to take hard votes in an election year and delaying the process even more.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
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The airframe is currently scheduled to remain in service until at least 2050, and upgrade programs are constantly being delayed.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
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And going out to picnic and just slowing down and getting lost in time with people outside is the best thing.—
Claire Salinda,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Strategic stockpiles are held separately by each IEA member country, meaning technical and logistical constraints could slow the flow of barrels.—
Sam Meredith,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Police later said four teenagers had been detained in a car near another synagogue in Rotterdam.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Federal immigration agents detained Khalil on March 8, 2025.—
Faith Bugenhagen,
Austin American Statesman,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
Cite this Entry
“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setback. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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