upbeat

noun

up·beat | \ ˈəp-ˌbēt

Definition of upbeat

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

adjective

Definition of upbeat (Entry 2 of 2)

: cheerful, optimistic I'm feeling upbeat today

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about upbeat

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Synonyms & Antonyms for upbeat

Synonyms: Adjective

blithe, blithesome, bright, buoyant, canty [British dialect], cheerful, cheery, chipper, eupeptic, gay, gladsome, lightsome, sunny, winsome

Antonyms: Adjective

dour, gloomy, glum, morose, saturnine, sulky, sullen

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

The team of 12, seeming upbeat, coursed through a tunnel spanning roughly 32 feet that also included a feature that emulates dripping water, according to Sky News. — Elizabeth Zwirz, Fox News, "Thai soccer team boys rescued from cave reportedly recreate experience, navigate through fake tunnel," 6 Sep. 2018 There were two big developments on May 21 in the political universe of Bernie Sanders, one upbeat, one not-so-much. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Sanders Announces Reelection Bid as Negative Buzz Builds About Our Revolution," 22 May 2018 While some Afrocentric artists did deploy militaristic symbolism, there was also often an upbeat, peace-loving aesthetic to the genre that may have started to feel cheesy next to flashy tracksuit-wearing b-boys like Run-DMC. — Taylor Hosking, The Atlantic, "How a Black Panther Music Video Taps Into an Old Trend," 1 Mar. 2018 For instance, a massive upbeat represents the fourth beat while a large downward movement represents the first. — Lawrence Elizabeth Knox, Houston Chronicle, "'Love' is unleashed in conductorless concert," 7 Feb. 2018 More: Pistons' Boban Marjanovic upbeat — despite constant rough play Twitter updates Live updates for mobile users. — Kirkland Crawford, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit Pistons vs. Denver Nuggets: Time, TV, radio information," 12 Dec. 2017 In all three videos, her mood is matter-of-fact, upbeat, almost jubilant. — Bob Gathany, AL.com, "ArtsHuntsville Pumpkin Patch Contest Puts Community Creativity on Display in Downtown Huntsville," 18 Oct. 2017 Tycho’s songs incorporate layers of synthesizers and instruments, techno beats and ambient melodies, even clips of real-world noise, into wavy soundscapes that are often soothing and sometimes dance-upbeat. — Matt Kawahara, sacbee, "Grammy-nominated electronic music act Tycho returns home to play Golden 1 Center," 21 Sep. 2017 Prepare 16 to 32 bar excerpts from two songs, one upbeat, and one ballad from contemporary Broadway musicals, nothing from Sister Act. — Courant Community, "Community News For The Enfield Edition," 18 Sep. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Choose an upbeat, fun song that'll really motivate you. — Shelby Deering, Good Housekeeping, "5 Surprising Ways Your Phone Can Get You Off the Couch," 15 May 2019 The cast runs through a variety of roles with enthusiasm and upbeat songs. — Trevor Fraser, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Review: Jason and the Argonauts - Fringe 2018," 14 May 2018 But in the middle of an upbeat electronic song about summer romance, a pair of police officers began descending the aisles, according to footage posted on the Chinese video sharing site Miaopai. — Amy B Wang, Washington Post, "A suspect tried to blend in with 60,000 concertgoers. China’s facial-recognition cameras caught him.," 13 Apr. 2018 The romantic ballad is a nice change from her more intense, upbeat songs, and the lyrics are totally heartfelt. — Kara Mcgrath, Seventeen, "3 "Adore You" Remixes That Are Even Better Than Miley's Official One," 24 Feb. 2014 For songs that deal with intense topics, the music is generally very upbeat. — Adam Rathe, Town & Country, "With "Mint," Alice Merton is About to Have the Breakout Album of 2019," 14 Jan. 2019 The cover will be the girls' first foray into film soundtracks, and the new trailer features the modern, vibrant reinterpretation of the classic Motown number that matches the upbeat tone of the upcoming film. — Billboard Japan, Billboard, "TWICE's Cover of 'I Want You Back' Features in New Japanese Rom-Com: Watch," 1 June 2018 Ramirez speaks to customers in an upbeat tone typical of Southern California surfers that makes strangers feel like close friends. — Gustavo Solis, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How do you run a surf shop when sewage spills constantly close the beach?," 27 May 2018 The upbeat tone in the letter wasn’t enough to satisfy Wall Street, which reacted negatively to Musk’s earnings call after markets closed on May 2. — Kirsten Korosec, Fortune, "4 Reasons Why Morgan Stanley Slashed Tesla's Price Target By 23%," 15 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'upbeat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.