Setback and Status quo
Opposite meaning terms
Setback
Setback noun - A change in status for the worse usually temporarily.
Usage example: the colonists persevered despite suffering setbacks that would have discouraged lesser souls
Status quo is an antonym for setback.
Status quo
Status quo noun - The state or fact of being the way things usually are.
Setback is an antonym for status quo.
Cite this Source
Status quo and Setback. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/setback/status_quo
Setback & Status quo. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/setback/status_quo>.
Status quo or Setback. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/setback/status_quo.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "setback" and "status quo" have occurred on timeline