setback

noun

1. An obstacle, delay, disadvantage, or blow (an adverse event which slows down, or prevents progress towards a desired outcome).

   “After some initial setbacks, the expedition went safely on its way.”

   “DUKAT: I blame no one but myself. I was indiscreet. I compromised myself and have been punished accordingly. If someone under my command had behaved so outrageously, I would do the same thing to him. Besides, I assure you, this is only a temporary setback. Everything I have lost, I will regain. It's only a matter of time.”

   “The Constitutional Court has ruled today, November 17th, that Section 1448 of the Thai Civil and Commercial, stating that “a marriage can take place only between a man and a woman”, is constitutional under the Thai constitutional law. This decision could be a major setback for many Thai LGBTQ activist groups’ continued journey of what they call basic human rights to legally allow same-sex marriages in Thailand.”

2. (broadly)Any adverse event, defeat, or impediment of progress.
3. (US)The required distance between a structure and a road.
4. A step-like recession in a wall.

   “Setbacks were initially used for structural reasons, but now are often mandated by land use codes.”

5. An offset to the temperature setting of a thermostat to cover a period when more or less heating is required than usual.

   “Fuel savings from thermostat setbacks have long been accepted as fact, but little documentation existed to support it.”

6. (archaic, possibly)A backset; a countercurrent; an eddy.
7. (archaic)A backset; a check; a repulse; a relapse.