downside
Americannoun
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downsides
plural
-
the lower side or part.
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a downward trend, especially in stock prices.
-
a discouraging or negative aspect.
adjective
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of downside
Explanation
Something's drawback or disadvantage is its downside. The only downside you can see to getting a puppy is having to leave it when you go to school — although your parents may see more downsides than that. When the word downside was coined in the 1680s, it meant "underside" or "underneath." It wasn't until the late 20th century that this word came to mean "negative aspect of something otherwise seen as good." Today, the downside of a puppy isn't its fuzzy belly — it's the hours of training, late-night walks, money spent at the vet, and chewed-up shoes.
Vocabulary lists containing downside
Liar, Liar
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The Golden Boy's Guide to Bipolar
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Outfoxed
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
IMF Chief Economist Tenreyro warned that "urgent action" was required by all countries in the face of downside risks.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
But Reitzes said the risk-reward balance is moving in its favor, as the stock already reflects this potential downside.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026
“Length, having a guy that can go two or three, is something where you essentially protect downside on the pitching,” Roberts said when asked what the Dodgers would prioritize.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
“Our bottom up work suggests consensus is overestimating the hybrid bonding opportunity in both memory and logic applications, and we see downside risk to numbers,” analysts say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
“On this man’s terms can you agree? There is little downside that I can see.”
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
Shah said the findings also highlight potential downsides of using the scans when they are unlikely to change a patient's treatment.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026
“We have not, as a field, done a very good job of explaining to people what the benefits are and how the downsides can be mitigated,” the CEO said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
He acknowledges that there are some well-established societal downsides to overuse of Meta’s social-media, especially among young people, but he appreciates “at least there’s no cloud in their revenue.”
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 30, 2026
In a statement, the group said AI could become more powerful over a decade, driving an unprecedented economic transformation that could bring downsides but also opportunities such as “major gains in living standards.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
The downsides of nuclear power are obvious when you consider Fukushima prefecture.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
