side effect

noun

variants also side reaction
Definition of side effectnext
as in ramification

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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 side effect And neither happens easily in organizations that treat the human experience of change as a side effect to be managed rather than a reality to be understood. — Maria Ross, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 Its results have sparked a flurry of activity as physicists try to determine whether the conflicting measurements are a side effect of different experimental procedures, or a sign that new particles are popping up after all. — Matt Von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 29 July 2026 That hour made clear that isolation is not an inevitable side effect of hospitalization, but rather a consequence of a care delivery structure that can, and should, change. — Anna Tsioulias, STAT, 29 July 2026 The side effect of this entire pattern has been a warmer Delta breeze carrying with it just a bit more humidity in the evening for Sacramento. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for side effect
Recent Examples of Synonyms for side effect
  1. ramification
  2. aftereffect
  3. complexity
  4. convolution
  5. complication
Noun
  • The whipsawing legal battle could have major ramifications for the midterms.
    — Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Equity markets have also largely shrugged off the potential ramifications of the conflict, with global stocks seeing a broad rally this year as corporate earnings optimism outweighed concerns about the war's implications for the world economy.
    — Chloe Taylor, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of ramification
Noun
  • The opportunity to work with Metzler again was at the top of the LuckyChap team’s list of reasons to produce the series, but there’s also a more meaningful aftereffect.
    — Angelique Jackson, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Many of our heroic Vietnam War veterans have continued to suffer the aftereffects of exposure to Agent Orange during their service.
    — Tom Strong, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
Definition of aftereffect
Noun
  • Rejecting the imaginary lyrical voice, her work offers the beauty of commonplace detail from which stories make truth evident as complexity.
    — Wallis Wilde-Menozzi, Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Rivaling modern sewers in size and complexity, this remarkable network of tunnels dates as far back as 500 BC, and parts are still in use today, draining runoff from the Forum in the heart of the city.
    — Andrew Coletti, Popular Science, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of complexity
Noun
  • Because of this, the resulting code tends to exhibit redundancy and convolution and to lack a unified engineering standard.
    — Ihor Hamal, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • In their alternating waves of resentment and understanding, anger and sorrow, D’Arcy and Cooke imbue Rhaenyra and Alicent’s dynamic with all the weight of this history and none of its convolutions.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 15 June 2026
Definition of convolution
Noun
  • There were also legal complications over the film rights until Schwarzenegger convinced Carolco Pictures, the studio behind Total Recall (1990), to buy everyone out and hire Cameron to make Judgment Day.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Children under the age of 5 who get measles are more likely to develop serious complications, including pneumonia and brain swelling, compared with older kids.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of complication

Browse Nearby Words

sided (with)
side effect
side effects
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Cite this Entry

“Side effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/side%20effect. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on side effect

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about side effect

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