SIDE EFFECT

Pronunciation (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does side effect mean? 

• SIDE EFFECT (noun)
  The noun SIDE EFFECT has 2 senses:

1. a secondary and usually adverse effect of a drug or therapy
2. any adverse and unwanted secondary effect

  Familiarity information: SIDE EFFECT used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SIDE EFFECT (noun)

Meaning:

A secondary and usually adverse effect of a drug or therapy

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Context example:

severe headaches are one of the side effects of the drug

Hypernyms ("side effect" is a kind of...):

effect (a symptom caused by an illness or a drug)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "side effect"):

black tongue; furry tongue; hairy tongue (a benign side effect of some antibiotics; dark overgrowth of the papillae of the tongue)

Meaning:

Any adverse and unwanted secondary effect

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

fallout; side effect

Context example:

a strategy to contain the fallout from the accounting scandal

Hypernyms ("side effect" is a kind of...):

consequence; effect; event; issue; outcome; result; upshot (a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon)