SETTING BACK Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

setting back

verb

present participle of set back

as in holding back

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for setting back

Verb

Stocks fell again on Thursday after Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC that capital for AI is scarce and holding back growth.

— Fred Imbert, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026
Slowik said there’s a bigger problem that’s holding back the offense.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of holding back

Verb

With more than seven million people packed into over 9,000 high-rises, efficiency is key here, and people will judge you for holding up lines, hesitating with your Octopus card, or lingering over your dim sum table while others are waiting.

— Lee Cobaj, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Oct. 2026
The video appears to show a person near the middle of the street holding up a cellphone to record the SUV when the vehicle’s front-right corner strikes the observer, who tumbles to the ground.

— Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of holding up

Verb

The significance of the phase 3 data extends beyond delaying a recurrence, doctors said.

— Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
According to the county staff report, delaying repairs for a formal bidding process could increase the risk of additional sinkholes, ground collapse and property damage.

— Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of delaying

Verb

Darker denim tones have really come into their own in the past year, and chocolate hues in particular are a fall fashion trend that shows no signs of slowing down in winter.

— Georgia Trodd, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2026
Despite a slowing economy and domestic labor-market pressures, China continues to subsidize and incentivize companies in Fujian to recruit young Taiwanese to work in the province.

— Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of slowing

Verb

The country's telecom and internet service market is dominated by Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani's Jio and Sunil Mittal's Airtel, with both companies together holding over 80% market share.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 9 Oct. 2026
There are more than 300 such foundations across the country, holding over $40 billion in assets, according to Grantmakers In Health (paywall).

— Laura MacDonald, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of holding over

Verb

Neighbors came out and crowded around, arguing with ICE agents, who were detaining a woman.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
This is evident in its determination to contain the protests, deploying over 40,000 security personnel, closing down metro and train stations, barricading central Delhi, suspending mobile Internet, and detaining over 7,000 people.

— Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of detaining

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setting at

setting back

setting by

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Style

“Setting back.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/setting%20back. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of setting back

verb

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