BUCKED UP Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

bucked up

verb

past tense of buck up

as in brightened

to become glad or hopeful buck up, kids, it's not so bad as you're making it out to be

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as in inspired

to fill with courage or strength of purpose a surprise presidential visit to buck up the troops

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bucked up While waiting for help, stay bucked up inside your vehicle. — Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 15 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bucked up

Verb

Themes return altered by what has happened to them, darkened or brightened, fragmented or reconciled.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
Her rich brunette color was brightened with shimmering, blonde highlights that were especially apparent in her half-up braid crown.

— Marci Robin, Allure, 6 July 2026

Definition of brightened

Verb

But the movie is also inspired by two men that Manigan coached, Ragahleak Bartee, 24, an officer with the Metropolitan Police Department, and Quincey Williams, 22, a professional boxer.

— Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 17 July 2026
This design flatters all different body types and offers a vintage aesthetic inspired by the ’80s and ’90s.

— René Chávez Esparza, Glamour, 17 July 2026

Definition of inspired

Verb

As the statisticians looked up the last time someone had lost the Wimbledon men’s final from such a position (John Bromwich in 1948), Djokovic could have unraveled.

— Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 5 July 2026
The crowd looked up as the pyrotechnic display colored the sky in shades of red, white and blue.

— Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 4 July 2026

Definition of looked up

Verb

During the pandemic boom, cheap money, soaring asset prices, and speculative demand encouraged galleries to expand rapidly—adding artists, opening new locations and building ever larger organizations.

— Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 17 July 2026
As energy costs and demand continue to rise and the potential for significantly lower tax revenues looms, local governments need to understand that clean energy is not banned in Florida but is encouraged by state statutes.

— Alan Byrd, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 July 2026

Definition of encouraged

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bucked

bucked up

bucket

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“Bucked up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bucked%20up. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of bucked up

verb

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