downside

downside — noun

1. the disadvantage, risk, or less attractive feature of a situation, action, or th

1.nounB2
Definition

the disadvantage, risk, or less attractive feature of a situation, action, or thing that otherwise seems good

Example

The main downside of living in the city center is the high cost of rent.

collocation: main downside / downside of [something]

Before accepting the job offer in Seoul, Joshua carefully considered the potential downsides.

plural form: downsides / potential downside

Common collocations
  • main downside
  • potential downside
  • only downside
  • biggest downside
  • real downside
  • possible downside
  • downside of [something]
  • downside to [something]
  • consider the downside
  • see the downside
Synonyms
  • drawback

    more common than 'downside'; works in the same grammatical patterns; slightly more formal

  • disadvantage

    broader in meaning — can refer to any unfavorable circumstance, not only one tied to an otherwise positive situation

  • pitfall

    suggests a hidden or unexpected problem, often with a metaphorical sense of 'trap'; stronger negative connotation

Antonyms
  • upside

    the direct opposite; refers to the positive aspect of a mixed situation

  • benefit

    emphasizes the advantage gained, not contrast with a negative side

Grammar Patterns

the downside of [something]

a downside to [something]

[quantity] downside is that…

Usage Note

Usually singular, though 'downsides' is possible when listing multiple negative aspects. Common in the patterns 'the downside of [something]' and 'a downside to [something]'. The word implies a contrast with an upside or benefit — the speaker assumes the situation has both good and bad sides.

Common Mistakes

One downside to live in the city is noise.
One downside of living in the city is noise.
'downside' is followed by 'of + gerund' or 'to + noun/gerund', not 'to + infinitive'.
The downside of this laptop is that it is very fast.
The downside of this laptop is that it gets very hot after an hour of use.
'downside' must introduce a negative or problematic feature, not a positive one.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to negative aspects of a situation, but they differ in scope and connotation. 'Downside' specifically implies that the overall situation is still good — it names the bad part of something that is mostly positive. 'Drawback' is the closest synonym and can be used interchangeably in most contexts; it suggests a feature that reduces the overall value but does not ruin it. 'Disadvantage' is broader and more neutral — it can describe any unfavorable condition, even in a purely negative scenario. 'Pitfall' carries a stronger warning tone and suggests a hidden danger or trap that is easy to fall into if one is not careful. For example: 'The main downside of the job is the long commute' could also use 'drawback' or 'disadvantage,' but 'The exam had many pitfalls for careless students' would not sound natural with 'downside.'

downside ↗drawback ↗disadvantage ↗pitfall

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • on the downside
  • the only downside
  • the main downside

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishEnglish

'Downside' is a compound of 'down' (from Old English 'dūn', meaning 'hill') and 'side' (from Old English 'sīde', meaning 'flank or edge'). It originally referred to the physical lower side of an object. By the early 1900s, it developed a metaphorical meaning of 'negative or disadvantageous aspect,' first recorded in American financial journalism to describe a downward market trend and then extended to general usage meaning 'drawback' or 'unfavorable feature.'