downside
Americannoun
-
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.
Racing alongside F1 brings significant benefits in terms of exposure, but also a downside when it comes to cost.
From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026
Their gains have been so extreme that a downside reversal might be overdue, he noted.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 15, 2026
Diplomatic progress and assurances of uninterrupted tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz could pull Brent back toward the $80 zone, though residual geopolitical risk limits the downside, Phillip Nova adds.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
All of those moves would normally signal downside pressure on stocks, but Calvasina has a theory as to why that’s not the case.
From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026
In the morning, when I return to my tower, I am still downside up, but there is much hostling and bostling going on at Casa Rosa.
From "The Unfinished Angel" by Sharon Creech
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.
