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
as in to hold back
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of setback
Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 31 May 2025
Musk will return to his multiple companies at a time when his business empire has seen financial setbacks, especially at Tesla, his main source of wealth.
—Stephen Fowler, NPR, 30 May 2025
Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, New York Times, 10 May 2025
The agreement was struck after months of negotiations between the two sides, set back a few weeks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s contentious meeting in Washington with President Trump and Vice President Vance.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for setback
Noun
The bottom line Despite the clear setback delivered by the courts, administration officials insist nothing has shifted in Trump’s thinking.
—Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 31 May 2025
Musk will return to his multiple companies at a time when his business empire has seen financial setbacks, especially at Tesla, his main source of wealth.
—Stephen Fowler, NPR, 30 May 2025
Verb
That has led to bouts of tension with the Mexican government, which insists that a unilateral attack by the Pentagon against the cartels would be a violation of Mexico’s sovereignty and set back bilateral relations by decades.
—Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, New York Times, 10 May 2025
The agreement was struck after months of negotiations between the two sides, set back a few weeks by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s contentious meeting in Washington with President Trump and Vice President Vance.
—Filip Timotija, The Hill, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for setback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setback
Noun
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Finally, Elon Musk’s DOGE activities brought its own host of circuit tests that generated smoke and reversals.—
Bruce Yandle,
Boston Herald,
1 June 2025
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In a reversal from the last two years, the base variant of the latest series, the iPhone 16, leads the chart, followed by the iPhone 16 Pro Max, 16 Pro, and iPhone 15.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
30 May 2025
Verb
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Several Mercer players had to be held back in the dugout.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2025
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That story has repeated itself this year, with the Fed continuing to hold back on rate cuts, even though investors have consistently expected more.—
Michael Foster,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Noun
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And when the engines don’t work, they’re brought back to HRC and the engineering process is repeated in reverse in search of flaws.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
25 May 2025
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Instead, they have been stuck in reverse from opening day, even when Skenes starts.—
Will Graves,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2025
Verb
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That lead held up until the fifth when Caleb Braden doubled in a pair of runs to highlight and three-run uprising to give No. 2 Wall (29-6) a 3-2 advantage.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
31 May 2025
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Springsteen has never shied away from holding up a thoughtful mirror reflecting the state of our nation.—
Reader Commentary,
Baltimore Sun,
30 May 2025
Verb
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At least three lawsuits have been filed against the company for delaying the features and circulating misleading iPhone 16 ads regarding Apple Intelligence.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
26 May 2025
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Kristi Durbin, immunization and travel division manager at El Paso County Public Health, said parents delayed routine health care during the pandemic.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
25 May 2025
Verb
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In the event of your vehicle hydroplaning, here's what to know: Ease off the accelerator - Step off the gas to slow down the vehicle until the tires find traction.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
1 June 2025
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Expectations are for nonfarm payroll job growth to slow to 125,000 from 177,000 in April.—
Bill Stone,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
Verb
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In the past two decades, Panahi, like many of his countrymen and fellow-artists, has faced continual persecution by the Iranian government: he has been detained and imprisoned, placed under house arrest, forbidden to leave the country, and banned from filmmaking.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
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Deputies have detained the other man for questioning, and Homicide Bureau detectives are investigating the shooting, Colome said.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
26 May 2025
Verb
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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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Setback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setback. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
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