setback 1 of 2

noun

ˈset-ˌbak How to pronounce setback (audio)
Definition of setbacknext
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

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
In a setback for publishers worried about the effects of AI search, a US federal judge has dismissed lawsuits filed by Chegg and Penske Media against Google. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 1 Oct. 2026 Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said the work Dru Smith was able to put in during the offseason should ease the recovery reacclimation from this latest setback. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
Clocks will be set back one hour, leading to sunrise and sunset coming an hour earlier. — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 31 Aug. 2026 The attacks badly damaged some of the country’s most sensitive sites and, experts say, set back Tehran’s ability to build a bomb by years. — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for setback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setback
  1. reversal
  2. hold back
  3. reverse
  4. hold up
  5. delay
  6. slow
  7. detain
  8. retard
Noun
  • This time, the Ravens were on the right side of a last-second reversal.
    — Brian Wacker, Baltimore Sun, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Samuel Alito, in a surprising reversal, has recused himself from participating in a major climate-change case the Supreme Court is set to hear next week, which involves the oil companies Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy.
    — Dan Mangan, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of reversal
Verb
  • Still, the families rarely hold back, leaving the admin team drenched in sweat.
    — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The Meta Ray-Ban Display's color waveguide still feels like an important evolution in the category, even if it's held back by limited features and questionable design decisions.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of hold back
Noun
  • Holding measles deaths out of the national update until certificates are final reverses that order.
    — Jess Steier, STAT, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Available options include bicycle carriers, a side awning and a color reverse camera system.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of reverse
Verb
  • Shares of debt-heavy neocloud CoreWeave have held up fine, rising almost 8% this week, while Oracle, which has counted on the debt market for its AI expansion, has had a tougher time, falling 7% for the week and about 30% this year.
    — Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien,Seema Mody, CNBC, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Chuck Outdoors That's it for the basic box, which is made from aluminum and designed to hold up to the abuse of constant travel and use outside.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of hold up
Verb
  • Walter Mischel, a psychologist who taught at Stanford and Columbia, conducted some of the most famous studies on delaying gratification in the late 1960s and 1970s.
    — Joan M. Cook, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Parents who addressed the board on Thursday urged the district to delay the vote and take more time to review logistics.
    — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of delay
Verb
  • These are rooms that encourage guests to slow down, disconnect from digital intrusions, and recenter themselves.
    — Robb Report Studio, Robb Report, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The project’s lengthy construction timeline and challenging terrain could push costs higher, while slowing demand could leave buyers locked into take-or-pay contracts lasting 20 years or more, Yoo said.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of slow
Verb
  • Terrones looked on at the black casket holding her youngest boy, the goofball who loved his family, the one who had longed for her support while she was detained.
    — Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The 18-year -old is one of thousands of people who have been in prolonged detention after being detained by federal immigration authorities, ABC News has reported.
    — Rebecca Gelpi-Ufret, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of detain
Verb
  • But that approach is rather slow to respond and is limited to applying retarding force.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 26 June 2018
Definition of retard

Browse Nearby Words

set at
setback
set back
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setback. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on setback

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about setback

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

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

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All