set in

Begin to prevail

Set in describes something unpleasant becoming established and taking hold.

Bad weather, infection, despair, or decay sets in—rarely anything welcome: Winter has set in, Panic set in when the lights went out, We need to treat the wound before infection sets in.

Once something sets in, it tends to persist or worsen.

solidifyMake or become hard
beginTo start something
commenceTo set underway
startTo set going
entrenchFix firmly in place

deep roots · bad habits · persist · rise · appear · prevail · rot · descend · take hold · winter · old age · thicken · decay · intensify · linger · form · dark clouds · cold weather

Categories

verbsjump, be, speak, wait, do
took holdgripped, seized, grabbed, grasped, clutched
activationactivate, triggers, firing, commence, initiate
holding firmhold, hold fast, hold firm, hold on, hold onto

Opposites

ONSET vs. CESSATION

set infade away

Diminish gradually to nothing

subside · lift · pass · abate · clear up

permanence vs. transience

set income and go

Appear and vanish intermittently

fluctuate · flicker · flash · hover

intensification vs. diminishment

set inrecede

Move back from

wane · ebb · diminish · weaken · ease

Family

set, in, upset, setting, sets, offset, reset, outset, settee

Familiarity: Top 50,000
Profile: Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Everyday, not technical · Rated G