Failure
Failure noun - A falling short of one's goals.
Usage example: the failure of the school's fund-raising drive was a big disappointment to all
Setback
Setback noun - A change in status for the worse usually temporarily.
Mutual synonyms
How words are described
| notable | notable failure | notable setback |
| critical | critical failure | critical setback |
| severe | severe failure | severe setback |
| massive | massive failure | massive setback |
| Other adjectives: big, great, serious, huge, immediate, possible, final, catastrophic, temporary, slightest, latest, recent, commercial, financial, biggest. | ||
Both words in one sentence
-
He's an example of a character who has strong willpower but not the raw talent or insight to go with it, and as a result, he repeatedly suffers injury, failure and setback, which makes even his strong willpower constantly falter.
Source: Japanese Spirit -
Unfortunately for him, there could be no concealing his failure in Operation Typhoon given the tactical defeats and unprecedented strategic setback that laid them bare.
Source: Characters / Nazi Germany
Cite this Source
Setback and Failure. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 13, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/failure/setback
Failure & Setback. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/failure/setback>.
Setback or Failure. 2016. Accessed August 13, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/failure/setback.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "failure" and "setback" have occurred on timeline