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drawback

noun

Simple meaning

A disadvantage or problem with something.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

drawbak

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈdɹɔbæk

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.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A disadvantage; something that detracts or takes away.

  2. A partial refund of an import fee, as when goods are re-exported from the country that collected the fee.

  3. The inhalation of a lungful of smoke from a cigarette, viewed as a skill of the practised smoker.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A disadvantage; something that detracts or takes away.

Used this way, drawback is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately 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 drawback

  • “He pointed out all the drawbacks to my plan.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

major drawbackserious drawbackmain drawbackgreat drawbackchief drawbackimportant drawbackpotential drawbackobvious drawback

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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.