setback

American  

[set-bak] / ˈsɛtˌbæk /

noun

• setbacks
  plural

1. a check to progress; a reverse or defeat.

   The new law was a setback.

2. Architecture. a recession of the upper part of a building from the building line, as to lighten the structure or to permit a desired amount of light and air to reach ground level at the foot of the building.

3. an act or instance of setting back.

   A nightly setback of your home thermostats can save a great deal of fuel.

4. Also a downward temperature adjustment of a thermostat, especially performed automatically, as by a timer.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• setbacks
  plural

Etymology

Origin of setback

First recorded in 1665–75; noun use of verb phrase set back

Explanation

A setback is an event that makes you lose progress or keeps you from gaining ground. If you're knitting a sweater, dropping a bunch of stitches would be a big setback. If warring countries are negotiating a treaty, a sudden resurgence of fighting would be a huge setback for their peace plan. And if you're trying to finish baking in time for you friend's birthday party, knocking the frosted cake onto the floor would also be a setback. Setbacks are always frustrating — unless you're talking about the kind of setback that's defined as "a building's distance from the street."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

setback setbacks

The economy ministry said August's order data thus represented a "marked setback".

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

Jaissle refused to give up, and "kept the dream for a lot longer than the doctors did", but the setback ultimately curtailed his career and he retired a few years later in 2014.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Mortgage rates surged to roughly a three-year high, a fresh setback for an already depressed housing market.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

But the latest homeless count showed the numbers are growing once again, dealing a setback to Bass.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

“Got more on the way,” Sister Wanda said, brushing off this setback.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

His Pakatan Harapan coalition has suffered setbacks in recent state elections in the runup to regional and national polls, which must be held by February 2028.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Students who are less equipped to handle academic setbacks, such as poor grades, are more inclined to use short-form videos as an escape, thus creating a negative cycle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 3, 2026

There were setbacks, including a Champions League final defeat by Chelsea in 2021 that left him unable to speak to his own family afterwards.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

There are a lot of setbacks, and a lot of sleeping in the office, especially in the first five or 10 years.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

In fact, he always returned to it whenever he experienced any devastating setbacks.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

Related Words

• blow
• defeat
• delay
• difficulty
• hindrance
• impediment
• misfortune
• obstacle
• reversal
• set-back
• slowdown
• stumbling block
• trouble