upbeat

1 of 2

noun

up·​beat ˈəp-ˌbēt How to pronounce upbeat (audio)
1
: an unaccented beat or portion of a beat in a musical measure
specifically : the last beat of the measure
2
: an increase in activity or prosperity
business that is on the upbeat

upbeat

2 of 2

adjective

: cheerful, optimistic
I'm feeling upbeat today

Examples of upbeat in a Sentence

Adjective I like a story with an upbeat ending. I tried to stay upbeat about losing the election.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Markets broadly welcomed the upbeat posting, with shares trading nearly 8% up year-to-date and up over 30% in the past 12 months. Mark Faithfull, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 In early episodes, The Brothers Sun plays like an upbeat, if somewhat uneven, buddy comedy. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Jan. 2024 Through the rooms the white minders come and go with their upbeat and their bags of blood. Christian Wiman, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 Payton, 59, back from a one-year sabbatical from coaching, is the same upbeat, cocksure soul who generated so much success, including a Super Bowl crown, during 15 seasons with the New Orleans Saints. Jarrett Bell, USA TODAY, 27 July 2023 The Frenchie did his part to keep every upbeat at the sweet picnic by performing a trick show and posing for plenty of photos. David Chiu, Peoplemag, 12 July 2023 The group then took the stage, impressing all four judges — Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofía Vergara — as well as the audience with their upbeat, perfectly in-sync performance. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 14 June 2023 Fox is very adroit at remaining upbeat and keeping things light during our time together. Brent Lang, Variety, 11 May 2023 This upbeat musical, for people 3 and older, is based on reggae giant Bob Marley's endearing song and a related children's book by his daughter Cedella. Jim Higgins, Journal Sentinel, 24 Apr. 2023
Adjective
In an Instagram live, Kesha, 37, smiled, cried and danced along to an upbeat new song that featured her signature confessional lyrics. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 7 Mar. 2024 On Tuesday, the socialite announced her return to Instagram in an upbeat post featuring two smiling selfies with her dog, sharing some background behind her break from the platform. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024 Rio’s could dance to an upbeat version of Mais Que Nada after the re-re-inspection. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2024 Despite that gloomy backdrop, Hunt delivered an upbeat assessment of Britain’s economic prospects and the outlook for household finances. Hanna Ziady, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 For a dose of local cuisine and culture, spend an upbeat Friday night at Oistins fish fry or sample some of the island's best rums on a tour of the Mount Gay rum distillery. Claudia Fisher, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 Employers want to hire people who are happy, upbeat, likable and motivated, in addition to possessing the requisite skills and experience to succeed in the role. Jack Kelly, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 The studio posted a smaller streaming loss of $490 million, against a year-earlier $575 million loss, representing some upbeat news for Wall Street. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Feb. 2024 For one, the show’s upbeat, bubbly song choice differed from other specialized dating shows like Indian Matchmaking and Love is Blind, Ivey adds. Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 24 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upbeat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1869, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1947, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of upbeat was in 1869

Dictionary Entries Near upbeat

Cite this Entry

“Upbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upbeat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

upbeat

1 of 2 noun
up·​beat ˈəp-ˌbēt How to pronounce upbeat (audio)
: an unaccented beat in a musical measure
especially : the last beat of the measure

upbeat

2 of 2 adjective
: optimistic, cheerful
a story with an upbeat ending

More from Merriam-Webster on upbeat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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