setback 1 of 2

as in reversal
a change in status for the worse usually temporarily the colonists persevered despite suffering setbacks that would have discouraged lesser souls

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

set back

2 of 2

verb

Examples 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
For Boeing, the strike that began on Sept. 13 marked the latest setback for the manufacturing giant, which has been the focus of multiple federal probes after a door plug blew off a 737 Max plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. Kate Gibson, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024 Here are 10 thoughts after the latest setback, with tension sure to mount at Halas Hall. Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Russia has been set back decades, no longer a global superpower or even a significant economic force. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, TIME, 24 Oct. 2024 That's when daylight saving time 2024 ends and clocks in most of the country will be set back to 1 a.m. Need a break? Tiffany Acosta, The Arizona Republic, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for setback 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setback
Noun
  • Those reversals all took place in races where there was a less than 0.06% difference between the candidates.
    Alison Durkee, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024
  • The startling reversal driven by the gender gap and the strength of independent women, who back Harris by a 28-point margin.
    NBC News, NBC News, 3 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • From the infamous club shooting that resulted in his incarceration to his thoughts on Puff’s current legal woes, the Belizean politician isn’t holding back in promotion of new Hulu documentary, The Honorable Shyne.
    Jessica Bennett, VIBE.com, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Despite slashing prices on thousands of items and seeing a slight uptick in customer traffic, inflation-weary shoppers are holding back on purchases.
    Francisco Velasquez, Quartz, 20 Nov. 2024
Noun
  • The filters of his kidneys were working in reverse, causing his body to lose protein, damaging his kidneys in the process.
    Kate Aurthur, Variety, 31 Oct. 2024
  • While upright, the Tower represents sudden, often chaotic transformation, but the warning is about the dangers of stagnation and holding on too tightly to the old when in reverse.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • So, how does its Stephen Schwartz score, reinterpreted by Grande and Cynthia Erivo, hold up?
    Sammi Tapper, Vogue, 22 Nov. 2024
  • To explain the difference between Tesla's system and CCS, Sun holds up a chunk of black plastic with round holes in it — the charging inlet of a vehicle on the CCS system.
    Camila Domonoske, NPR, 22 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • In a 2023 lawsuit, 20 patients alleged doctors delayed or denied medically-necessary care out of confusion and fear of the penalties for violating the law, which include loss of medical license, fines of $100,000 or more and sentences of up to life in prison.
    Bayliss Wagner, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
  • The award had been delayed because none of the nominees under consideration in 1921 was found to have met the criteria. 1923: Alice Coachman, the first African American woman to win an Olympic gold medal, was born in Albany, Georgia.
    Lorenzino Estrada, The Arizona Republic, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • There are, however, concerns that the president-elect's economic policies could stoke inflation, and slow the pace of interest rate cuts next year.
    Lucia Mutikani, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024
  • Professional journaling compels us to slow down and reflect, leading to actionable insights.
    David Nour, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The bullet that killed her came from the apartment unit next door where officers found and detained Mata.
    Bianca Moreno-Paz, Austin American-Statesman, 18 Nov. 2024
  • Any increase in efforts to detain and deport people will also likely require more places to detain them.
    Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 14 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • Blockchain thus provides companies and banks a way to undo Basel II’s and Basel III’s retarding effect on trade finance while complying with their requirements.
    Rebecca Liao, Foreign Affairs, 16 Aug. 2017
  • Turning the lithium oxide—the product of discharging the battery—back to lithium is difficult and only partially possible even when assisted by special catalysts: The oxide builds up and retards the process, limiting the number of charge-discharge cycles to a mere handful.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 31 Jan. 2011

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Cite this Entry

“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setback. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.

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