pros and cons

plural noun

the favorable and the unfavorable factors or reasons; advantages and disadvantages.

pros and cons

plural noun

the various arguments in favour of and against a motion, course of action, etc

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Word History and Origins

Origin of pros and cons¹

C16: from Latin prō for + con, from contrā against

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Idioms and Phrases

Arguments or considerations for and against something, as in We'd best weigh all the pros and cons before we decide to add a new wing to the library . This idiom is taken from the Latin pro for “for” and con for “against.” [Late 1500s]

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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