downside
noun
Simple meaning
A negative aspect of something that is generally positive.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
downsydSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈdaʊnsaɪd
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A negative aspect of something that is generally positive
“There is a downside even to motherhood.”
A disadvantageous aspect of something that is normally advantageous.
A downward tendency, especially in the price of shares etc.
The side of something that is at the bottom, or that is intended to face downward.
A number of places in England
A southern suburb of Dunstable, Central Bedfordshire district, Bedfordshire (OS grid ref TL0320).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A negative aspect of something that is generally positive
Used this way, downside is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“There is a downside even to motherhood.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use downside
- “There is a downside even to motherhood.”noun
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.