Setback and Victory

Opposite meaning words

Setback noun - A change in status for the worse usually temporarily.

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Victory is an antonym for setback.

Victory noun - An instance of defeating an enemy or opponent.

Usage example: with great effort, our team managed an upset victory in the final moments

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Setback is an antonym for victory.

true	true setback	true victory
small	small setback	small victory
massive	massive setback	massive victory
big	big setback	big victory
Other adjectives: great, huge, little, new, major, immediate, possible, final, minor, temporary, latest, recent, strategic, tactical, biggest.

Granted they get the small victory, but it's very fleeting and more often then not just a small setback for the villains at best.

Source: Western Animation / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012)
In the Alternate Continuity where the Allies won and the Nod never recovered from that setback, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 continues the pattern of both Allies and Soviets having campaigns, but only the Allies getting a canonical victory.

Source: Faction-Specific Endings

Cite this Source

Victory and Setback. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/setback/victory

Setback & Victory. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/setback/victory>.

Victory or Setback. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/setback/victory.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "setback" and "victory" have occurred on timeline