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.
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
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
Paul Christopher, head of global investment strategy at Wells Fargo Investment Institute, is investing in sectors where there’s lower downside risks if the cease-fire ends.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
Other commodities would have significant downside in that scenario as well.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
On the downside, the Burrow was not built to accommodate so many people.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
