SETTING BACK Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

setting back

verb

present participle of set back

as in holding back

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting back

Verb

Dan Levy is not holding back his thoughts on Shane Gillis‘ Saturday Night Live monologue.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026
Ocean container volume was flat from a year ago (although up since Q1 as Sean will explain), so the improvement there came from carriers holding back capacity, not from more boxes moving.

— Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of holding back

Verb

Revenue may be holding up even as calendar productivity softens, creating an important trade-off for buyers to consider.

— Kaitlyn Gomez, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Consumers are also doing their part, holding up better against higher fuel prices and higher tariffs than many forecast.

— Evan Clark, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of holding up

Verb

And more people are entering the system than leaving it, delaying help for newly homeless families.

— Nicole Santa Cruz, ProPublica, 9 Oct. 2026
Though profits and revenue growth have generally been strong this year, the IPO market has stalled, with Oura and Bamboo Insurance delaying their offerings last month.

— Morgan Chittum, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of delaying

Verb

With apartment completions slowing, Pew also warned that rents could start rising again.

— Bilin Lin, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
Wallace lingered in the car for a few minutes once slowing to a stop, though — long enough for health workers to unload a stretcher that Wallace ultimately didn’t use.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of slowing

Verb

The country's telecom and internet service market is dominated by Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani's Jio and Sunil Mittal's Airtel, with both companies together holding over 80% market share.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
There are more than 300 such foundations across the country, holding over $40 billion in assets, according to Grantmakers In Health (paywall).

— Laura MacDonald, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of holding over

Verb

Clampdown Over the weekend, Indian security forces reportedly clamped down on protests in the capital city, detaining young people, several opposition party politicians, YouTubers, lawyers and a few journalists.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Following Saturday's protests, authorities launched a sweeping security crackdown in the capital, detaining more than 2,000 protesters, including several opposition lawmakers.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Oct. 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 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of setting back

verb

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