pros and cons

plural noun

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

pros and cons

plural noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of pros and cons¹

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

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]

Example Sentences

He said every option has “pros and cons.”

From Los Angeles Times

She could only afford one, but turning over the pros and cons wasn’t getting her anywhere—so Crystal put it to a Facebook vote.

From Slate

The poems tackle an assortment of topics including sour relationships, the pros and cons of living in LA, becoming comfortable with yourself as a woman in your 30s - they also describe how the singer dealt with having bulimia in her 20s.

From BBC

Then last year, Sell made a list of the pros and cons of returning to the tour.

From Los Angeles Times

The Los Angeles Times’ billionaire owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, intervened to block the endorsement, and explained later that he gave them the option to basically make an Excel spreadsheet of pros and cons of each candidate instead.

From Slate