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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of setback
Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025
Each of the Riders’ three losses this season came to teams playing in the Coliseum, the last a 65-44 setback at No. 6 Mullen on Jan. 6.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2025
Mitch Sherman, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Emily Peck Jan 24, 2025 - Business Trump's DEI orders may halt progress for disabled workers
The attack on DEI from the Trump administration could set back recent progress for disabled workers, particularly within the federal workforce, according to advocates and legal experts.
—Caitlin Owens, Axios, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for setback
Noun
But not all delays were caused by mechanical or track problems; factors like crew availability, people on the track and construction played a much bigger role in setbacks.
—Nic F. Anderson, CNN, 9 Mar. 2025
Each of the Riders’ three losses this season came to teams playing in the Coliseum, the last a 65-44 setback at No. 6 Mullen on Jan. 6.
—Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2025
Verb
Four turned into productive pieces, including two who have been set back repeatedly by injuries, Turner Corcoran and Teddy Prochazka.
—Mitch Sherman, The Athletic, 12 Feb. 2025
Emily Peck Jan 24, 2025 - Business Trump's DEI orders may halt progress for disabled workers
The attack on DEI from the Trump administration could set back recent progress for disabled workers, particularly within the federal workforce, according to advocates and legal experts.
—Caitlin Owens, Axios, 12 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for setback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for setback
Noun
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Shares of CrowdStrike have been hit hard over the past three weeks due to the reversal in several high-flying momentum tech stocks.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2025
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Trump, meanwhile, will see how the market responds to his reversal once stock trading resumes on Monday morning.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Zelensky said Saturday his troops were holding back Russian and North Korean forces in Kursk and denied Russian claims that Ukraine’s army was surrounded.—
Nic Robertson,
CNN,
15 Mar. 2025
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Rick Ross did not hold back in his latest rant against 50 Cent.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Nvidia is far from the only momentum stock to go in reverse in recent weeks.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
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The big picture: Some fear that the worker boost seen in 2022 and 2023 will play out in reverse.—
Courtenay Brown,
Axios,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The black piece of glass [holds up his cell phone] is the worst addiction.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
8 Mar. 2025
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One side holds up to 10 pairs of shoes, while the other can be used for clothes, bags, or hats.—
Shea Simmons,
People.com,
8 Mar. 2025
Verb
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With Kyiv losing its grip on the western Russian region of Kursk, its sole territorial bargaining chip, many believe that Putin may be delaying talks on the ceasefire proposal until the region is firmly back under Russian control.—
Nic Robertson,
CNN,
15 Mar. 2025
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When football resumed, money was scarce and plans for a new bridge into Salford and a car park were delayed.—
Michael Walker,
The Athletic,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Black Hawk helicopters carrying troops to the Assembly were slowed down because their superior officers did not get advance clearance to fly over Seoul, losing precious time.—
Choe Sang-Hun,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2025
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Despite his being in his 22nd season in the NBA, James has shown no signs of slowing down this year. Co-star Luka Doncic will be relied upon more heavily down the stretch.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
9 Mar. 2025
Verb
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However, on the call, Boasberg signaled that some of the five Venezuelans who were detained over the weekend were already onboard repatriation flights.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
16 Mar. 2025
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Rekha Sharma-Crawford, a partner at Sharma-Crawford Attorneys at Law who represents several individuals who were detained, told The Star that her team should have a disposition on the last person in custody soon.—
Taylor O’Connor,
Kansas City Star,
15 Mar. 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 22 Mar. 2025.
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