Read along with the three podcasts, or open the full dictionary entry for Setback for the definition, Arabic meaning, synonyms and example sentences.
Narrator: Today's word is "Setback" — noun, pronounced /ˈsetbæk/, with the stress on "set".
Narrator: A setback is a problem that stops progress or makes things worse.
Narrator: In plain English, it is a step backwards.
Narrator: It comes from the phrasal verb set back.
Narrator: A common collocation is "a major setback", which describes a serious delay.
Narrator: It differs from "failure", because a setback is temporary, while failure may be final.
Narrator: In a second sense, in architecture a setback is where a building steps back from the street.
Narrator: Business, sport, health and planning all rely on the word.
Narrator: So remember: a setback is a delay, not the end.
Speaker A: How's the new café going?
Speaker B: A SETBACK, the oven broke! From set back.
Speaker A: Opening delayed?
Speaker B: Just a week.
Speaker A: Example sentences?
Speaker B: "The injury was a setback", sport. "Despite setbacks, the project finished", business. "A temporary setback", reassurance.
Speaker A: Common mistakes?
Speaker B: The noun is one word, "setback", but the verb is two, "set back".
Speaker A: Close relatives?
Speaker B: Hitch is its cousin, obstacle its twin, and delay an alternative — yet setback keeps its temporary charm!
Speaker B: Let's use "setback" in AI prompts — useful for project updates and coaching.
Speaker A: How for projects?
Speaker B: Report honestly.
Prompt: Write a stakeholder update explaining a two-week setback and the recovery plan.
Speaker A: And coaching?
Speaker B: Motivate.
Prompt: Write encouraging advice for someone after a career setback.
Speaker A: Could it help planning?
Speaker B: Yes, for risk.
Prompt: List likely setbacks for this product launch and mitigations.
Speaker A: One more?
Speaker B: Health.
Prompt: Explain how to handle a setback during injury recovery.
Setback — meaning in Arabic & definition More S courses GL Dictionary