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pros and cons

American  

plural noun

  1. the favorable and the unfavorable factors or reasons; advantages and disadvantages.


pros and cons British  

plural noun

  1. the various arguments in favour of and against a motion, course of action, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pros and cons Idioms  
  1. Arguments or considerations for and against something, as in We'd best weigh all the pros and cons before we decide to add a new wing to the library. This idiom is taken from the Latin pro for “for” and con for “against.” [Late 1500s]


Etymology

Origin of pros and cons

C16: from Latin prō for + con, from contrā against

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.

Pros and cons: Lujan Grisham appears to be the only Latina candidate under consideration, with the potential to give Biden a boost across the Southwest.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2020

Pros and cons: Abrams is an agile political messenger with a strong national following.

From New York Times • Jun. 22, 2020

Pros and cons of man vs. machine were evident when Paris Saint-Germain eliminated Chelsea from the Champions League on Wednesday.

From Washington Times • Mar. 12, 2015

Pros and cons for both scenarios, following your feelings or repressing them.

From Slate

Pros and cons, arguments for and against an opinion.—Pro bono publico, for the public good.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various