Synonyms of setbacks

setbacks

noun

plural of setback

as in reversals

a change in status for the worse usually temporarily

the colonists persevered despite suffering setbacks that would have discouraged lesser souls

Synonyms & Similar Words

• reversals
• reverses
• disappointments
• lapses
• reversions
• declines
• knocks
• frustrations
• downs
• falls
• breakdowns
• regressions
• downfalls
• letdowns
• recessions
• turnarounds
• relapses
• collapses
• ruins
• crashes
• turnabouts
• retrogressions
• comedowns
• descents
• meltdowns
• undoings

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• status quos

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of setbacks

Working families most likely to lose access are the very consumers with thin credit files, uneven income, or past financial setbacks. — Arkansas Online, 9 Sep. 2026

The setbacks the group faced early in its career, including losing a record deal, and why the members were determined to build a long career rather than chase one breakthrough moment. — Sid Evans, Southern Living, 8 Sep. 2026

Healthcare stocks were having a bad day after Novartis suffered setbacks across several Phase 3 drug trials, including a medication being studied to reduce cardiovascular events by lowering lipoprotein(a), a cholesterol-carrying particle in blood. — Jeff Marks,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2026

Alpha has achieved several successful launches, but setbacks and failures have kept Firefly from establishing a routine launch cadence. — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 6 Sep. 2026

Amid the delays and setbacks, simply opening the museum may feel like a victory to its founders. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026

Moving away from familiar platforms will require political and military leaders to take risks and overcome the setbacks and criticism that accompany any institutional change. — Holmes Liao, Foreign Affairs, 4 Sep. 2026

Last week, City & State reported payments were late again this year in 3-K and Pre-K, and The New York Times later reported the same setbacks were also straining the new 2-K pilot program, renewing scrutiny of the delays. — Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 31 Aug. 2026

Louizos died Tuesday in New York of multiple myeloma following a series of health setbacks dating to an accident on horseback while on vacation in Greece last year, her wife, artistic director and producer Robyn Goodman, announced. — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026