Meanings
plural side effects · alternative side-effect
- An unintended consequence, or secondary result, of any action, in addition to the main or intended consequence of that action.
A side effect of this architecture (which was designed only for efficient fabrication) is that it also performs automated repair.
1980, Advanced Automation for Space Missions3 more examples
The processing of certain raw materials - pulp and paper, oil, and alumina, for example - can have substantial environmental side effects.
1987, Brundtland ReportSo you go along for a long time / And nothing seems to worry your mind / But what it adds up to / It's the side effect / That finally gets to you / It's the side effect / That finally gets to you
1983, Ashford & Simpson, “Side Effect”, in High-Rise (album)Useful for mild depression but may trigger coronary problems. A positive side effect is that it may actually help with degenerative joint disease symptoms.
2007, Sylvia Escott-Stump, Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related CareSynonyms: by-product
- medicineAn unintended consequence of a drug or therapy; usually an adverse effect, and not a beneficial one.
“While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.”
2018 May 30, Christine Hauser, quoting Sanofi, “Roseanne Barr’s Ambien Defense Is Disputed: ‘Racism Is Not a Known Side Effect’”, in The New York Times, →ISSNSynonyms: by-product
- computingA change a in state outside of the local environment of the function being called.
The Eiffel programming language is somewhat purist in insisting that functions have no side effects.
Synonyms: by-product
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn unintended consequence, or secondary result, of any action, in addition to the main or intended consequence of that action.
nounAn unintended consequence of a drug or therapy; usually an adverse effect, and not a beneficial one.
nounA change a in state outside of the local environment of the function being called.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic أَثَر جَانِبِيّ
- أَثَر جَانِبِيّ (ʔaṯar jānibiyy)unintended consequence of any action
Bulgarian страни́чен ефе́кт, страни́чен ефе́кт
- страни́чен ефе́кт (straníčen efékt)medicine: an adverse effect
- страни́чен ефе́кт (straníčen efékt)computing: a state change caused by a function call
- страни́чен ефе́кт (straníčen efékt)unintended consequence of any action
Catalan efecte secundari, efecte secundari
- efecte secundarimedicine: an adverse effect
- efecte secundariunintended consequence of any action
Chinese Mandarin 副作用, 副作用
- 副作用 (fùzuòyòng)medicine: an adverse effect
- 副作用 (fùzuòyòng)computing: a state change caused by a function call
- 副作用 (fùzuòyòng)unintended consequence of any action
Czech vedlejší účinek, vedlejší účinek
- vedlejší účinekmedicine: an adverse effect
- vedlejší účinekcomputing: a state change caused by a function call
- vedlejší účinekunintended consequence of any action
Dutch nevenwerking, nevenwerking
- nevenwerkingmedicine: an adverse effect
- nevenwerkingunintended consequence of any action
- neveneffectunintended consequence of any action
Esperanto kromefiko
- kromefikounintended consequence of any action
Estonian kõrvalmõju
- kõrvalmõjuunintended consequence of any action
Finnish sivuvaikutus, sivuvaikutus
- sivuvaikutusmedicine: an adverse effect
- sivuvaikutuscomputing: a state change caused by a function call
- sivuvaikutusunintended consequence of any action
French effet secondaire, effet indésirable
- effet secondairemedicine: an adverse effect
- effet indésirablemedicine: an adverse effect
- effet de bordcomputing: a state change caused by a function call
- effet secondaireunintended consequence of any action
German Nebenwirkung, Nebeneffekt
- Nebenwirkungmedicine: an adverse effect
- Nebeneffektcomputing: a state change caused by a function call
- Seiteneffektcomputing: a state change caused by a function call
- Nebenwirkungunintended consequence of any action
- Nebeneffektunintended consequence of any action
Greek παρενέργεια, παρενέργεια
- παρενέργεια (parenérgeia)medicine: an adverse effect
- παρενέργεια (parenérgeia)unintended consequence of any action
Hebrew תּוֹפָעַת לְוַאי
- תּוֹפָעַת לְוַאי (tofa'át lvay)unintended consequence of any action
Hindi दुष्प्रभाव, दुष्प्रभाव
- दुष्प्रभाव (duṣprabhāv)medicine: an adverse effect
- दुष्प्रभाव (duṣprabhāv)unintended consequence of any action
Hungarian mellékhatás, mellékhatás
- mellékhatásmedicine: an adverse effect
- mellékhatáscomputing: a state change caused by a function call
- kísérő jelenségcomputing: a state change caused by a function call
- mellékhatásunintended consequence of any action
Indonesian efek samping
- efek sampingunintended consequence of any action
Irish fo-iamhairt, fo-iarsma
- fo-iamhairtmedicine: an adverse effect
- fo-iarsmamedicine: an adverse effect
- fo-iarsmacomputing: a state change caused by a function call
Italian effetto collaterale, effetto collaterale
- effetto collateralemedicine: an adverse effect
- effetto collateraleunintended consequence of any action
Japanese 副作用, 副作用
- 副作用 (fukusayō)medicine: an adverse effect
- 副作用 (fukusayō)computing: a state change caused by a function call
- 副作用 (fukusayō)unintended consequence of any action
Korean 부작용, 부작용
- 부작용 (bujagyong)medicine: an adverse effect
- 부작용 (bujagyong)computing: a state change caused by a function call
- 부작용 (bujagyong)unintended consequence of any action
Latvian blakne
- blaknemedicine: an adverse effect
Norwegian Bokmål bivirkning, bieffekt
- bivirkningmedicine: an adverse effect
- bieffektunintended consequence of any action
Polish efekt uboczny, efekt uboczny
- efekt ubocznymedicine: an adverse effect
- efekt ubocznycomputing: a state change caused by a function call
- efekt ubocznyunintended consequence of any action
- skutek ubocznyunintended consequence of any action
Portuguese efeito colateral, efeito colateral
- efeito colateralmedicine: an adverse effect
- efeito colateralunintended consequence of any action
Romanian efect secundar
- efect secundarmedicine: an adverse effect
Russian побо́чный эффе́кт, побо́чный эффе́кт
- побо́чный эффе́кт (pobóčnyj effékt)medicine: an adverse effect
- побо́чный эффе́кт (pobóčnyj effékt)computing: a state change caused by a function call
- побо́чный эффе́кт (pobóčnyj effékt)unintended consequence of any action
- побо́чное де́йствие (pobóčnoje déjstvije)unintended consequence of any action
Slovak vedľajší účinok
- vedľajší účinokunintended consequence of any action
Spanish efecto secundario, efecto secundario
- efecto secundariomedicine: an adverse effect
- efecto secundariounintended consequence of any action
Swedish biverkan, biverkning
- biverkanmedicine: an adverse effect
- biverkningmedicine: an adverse effect
- bieffektunintended consequence of any action
Thai ผลข้างเคียง
- ผลข้างเคียง (pǒn-kâang-kiiang)medicine: an adverse effect
Turkish yan etki, yan etki
- yan etkimedicine: an adverse effect
- yan etkiunintended consequence of any action
Ukrainian побі́чний ефе́кт, побі́чна ді́я
- побі́чний ефе́кт (pobíčnyj efékt)medicine: an adverse effect
- побі́чна ді́я (pobíčna díja)medicine: an adverse effect
- побі́чний ефе́кт (pobíčnyj efékt)unintended consequence of any action
- побі́чна ді́я (pobíčna díja)unintended consequence of any action
Welsh sgileffaith
- sgileffaithmedicine: an adverse effect
Yiddish בײַעפֿעקט
- בײַעפֿעקט (bayefekt)unintended consequence of any action
Cite this entry
side effect. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/side%20effect
“side effect.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/side%20effect. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “side effect,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/side%20effect.
Source: side effect on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.