risk vs side effect

risk

noun
  • A thing (from the perspective of how likely or unlikely it is to cause an adverse effect). 

  • A possible adverse event or outcome. 

  • A borrower (such as a mortgage-holder or person with a credit card). 

  • An entity insured by an insurer. 

  • The potential negative effect of an event, determined by multiplying the likelihood of the event occurring with its magnitude should it occur. 

  • The magnitude of possible loss consequent to a decision or event. 

  • The probability of a negative outcome to a decision or event. 

  • A type of adverse event covered under an insurance policy. 

  • A financial product (typically an investment). 

verb
  • To incur risk as a result of (doing something). 

  • To incur risk of harming or jeopardizing. 

  • To incur risk of (something). 

side effect

noun
  • An adverse effect, an unintended consequence of a drug or therapy; usually not a beneficial effect. 

  • A change in state caused by a function call. 

  • An unintended consequence of any action in addition to the intended consequence of that action. 

How often have the words risk and side effect occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )