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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Example Sentences

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

With its Manuka honey heart, the scent is brightened by orange blossom and mandarin before settling into tonka, vanilla, and sandalwood.

— Lauren Valenti, InStyle, 9 Sep. 2026
Hamilton’s city streets are brightened by more than 100 large-scale murals, a variety of different galleries, and a monthly art walk.

— Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of brightened

Verb

Though the hotel burned down twice, it was rebuilt following the more recent fire of 1925; its present-day structure is inspired by Rome’s Villa Medici.

— Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026
Oral healthcare doesn’t often make the global news cycle, but earlier this week Dyson added a new gadget to its product lineup that inspired a flurry of headlines.

— Elizabeth Gulino, Allure, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of inspired

Verb

Burgos then looked up the woman’s driver’s license picture on the DMV database, which several officers told internal affairs probably violated department policy, according to the report.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Shedeur Sanders, formerly the quarterback of the Buffaloes and now for the Cleveland Browns, looked up at them and smiled.

— Seth Emerson, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of looked up

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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 11 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bucked up

verb

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