SETTING BACK Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

setting back

verb

present participle of set back

as in holding back

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting back

Verb

The selloff in chip stocks and AI-beneficiaries was holding back the market’s attempt at a rally.

— Jeff Marks, CNBC, 27 July 2026
Speculation swirled in March and April that the Mets were holding back to take advantage of dynamic pricing during a hopeful second-half pennant chase.

— Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of holding back

Verb

The aggregate hides what exactly is falling and what might still be holding up.

— Victor Karpenko, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Blushing, Slaton continued talking about the couple’s favorite low-key outings before eventually holding up her left hand to show off her engagement ring.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026

Definition of holding up

Verb

When these systems are under-resourced, investigations become more difficult, delaying interventions that protect the public.

— Omer Awan, Forbes.com, 24 July 2026
The court will sit in September to decide whether to strike down the statutory foundation of the inquiry, delaying one of South Africa’s biggest political risks.

— Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 24 July 2026

Definition of delaying

Verb

The brakes, while cable-operated, do an effective job of slowing and stopping the Vienna.

— William Roberson, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Iran struck multiple oil tankers over the past couple days, slowing strait traffic to just a handful of crossings – down from roughly 50 to 70 per day shortly after Iran and the United States signed their Memorandum of Understanding in mid-June.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Definition of slowing

Verb

Landa worked with the Association to get the original project approved in 2017 after holding over 30 public meetings.

— Karen Billing, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 June 2026
And moviegoers turned out to indies from Rosemead to The Chronology of Water, All That’s Left Of You and more, new and holding over, limited, wide and top ten.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Jan. 2026

Definition of holding over

Verb

The rapid-response unit within the Hellenic Police and the Athens Police Directorate immobilized and disarmed the suspect, detaining the individual on the scene, police said.

— Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Many of them despise Trump because of what ICE has done to their communities, which includes rounding up and detaining people who are here in the country legally, many of whom were born here.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 14 July 2026

Definition of detaining

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setting at

setting back

setting by

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“Setting back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setting%20back. Accessed 28 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of setting back

verb

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