setback
English · Thesaurus
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setback
- /ˈsɛtbæk/
Rhymes with -ɛtbæk
Where it comes from
Deverbal from set back. Compare drawback.
noun setbacks
- An obstacle, delay, disadvantage, or blow (an adverse event which slows down, or prevents progress towards a desired outcome). After some initial setbacks, the expedition went safely on its way.
- Any adverse event, defeat, or impediment of progress.
- The required distance between a structure and a road.
-
A step-like recession in a wall.
Setbacks were initially used for structural reasons, but now are often mandated by land use codes.
Similar: stepback
- An offset to the temperature setting of a thermostat to cover a period when more or less heating is required than usual. Fuel savings from thermostat setbacks have long been accepted as fact, but little documentation existed to support it.
- A backset; a countercurrent; an eddy.
- A backset; a check; a repulse; a relapse.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: reverse, reversal, blow, hindrance, impediment, obstacle, slowdown, slowing, breakdown, loss, downturn, decrease, debacle, fall, contraction, delay
Translations
Every language
noun adverse event, obstacle
| Español | contratiempo, descalabro, varapalo, mazazo, percance |
|---|---|
| Português | contratempo, contrariedade |
| Français | contretemps, obstacle |
| Deutsch | Rückschlag, Hindernis |
| Italiano | contrattempo, impedimento, insuccesso |
| Русский | препя́тствие prepjátstvije, заде́ржка zadéržka |
| العربية | نَكْسَة naksa |
Talk about this word "setback." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/setback. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. setback. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/setback "setback." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/setback.Cite this
@misc{setback_2026,
title = {setback},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/setback},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
