downside
Americannoun
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the lower side or part.
-
a downward trend, especially in stock prices.
-
a discouraging or negative aspect.
adjective
noun
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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Free Period
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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.
If bitcoin futures fail to break above that level, though, it would be a sign that too many investors still see more downside risk than short-term upside.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Their reply: the move “cost a few percentage points at the U.S. index level – a fair price to avoid a far costlier downside scenario materializing from worsening supply disruptions.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Options pricing for downside risk is notably cheaper, DeBusschere said, and recession risks are minimal.
From Barron's • Apr. 13, 2026
The stock enjoyed little of the past decade’s run-up in shares of enterprise cyber giants like Palo Alto Networks and CrowdStrike Holdings, but has participated in all of the recent downside on AI disruption fears.
From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026
The only downside is that in order to keep Dylan’s secret, I can’t tell Elsie how I got the spell book or how I learned to paint illusions in the first place.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
