DOWNBEAT Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

downbeat 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of downbeat

as in hopeless

emphasizing or expecting the worst a downbeat prediction for the company's sales performance in the upcoming year

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

downbeat

2 of 2

noun

as in downturn

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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 downbeat

Adjective

Stocks snapped a three-day losing streak Wednesday as gains by big technology companies and relatively steady oil prices and bond yields helped lift the market after a downbeat start to the week. — Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 Breakout potential may be curbed by its stolid, downbeat nature. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026

Noun

The Kyrie opens with a strong D-major chord in the large orchestra that seems an obvious downbeat but turns out to be an upbeat. — Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 25 Feb. 2026 The physical thing is universal, like, downbeat is always down in every part of the world. — Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for downbeat

Recent Examples of Synonyms for downbeat

Adjective

Johnston, who made his breakout performance as the toxically hopeless romantic Bear in Curry Barker’s Obsession, has most recently been in talks to join Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in the upcoming fourth installment of The Mummy.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
For all the apocalyptic overtones in the film, Gibney doesn’t want audiences to come away feeling hopeless.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of hopeless

Noun

While Chick-fil-A is not immune to these headaches, Cathy told CNBC that the chain’s restaurants have not seen the same downturn.

— Amelia Lucas, CNBC, 4 Oct. 2026
Saint Laurent’s parent Kering has returned to growth after a bruising downturn, but Balenciaga remains under pressure and Gucci is still struggling to reverse years of falling sales behind the runway gloss.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of downturn

Adjective

Swarup’s book exposes the cynical nature of the quiz show, dangling a literal lifeline to desperate people for the sake of entertainment.

— L.M. Chilton, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026
Myriad people inside Warner Bros are cynical about the capping of severances and the fact that only a few at the top are bound for a post-merger windfall.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of cynical

Noun

That operational slowdown would subsequently reduce gasoline output and drive total domestic energy costs higher.

— , CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
Against this backdrop of growing public concern and calls for a slowdown in frontier AI development, Fortune editor-in-chief Alyson Shontell flew out to San Francisco to speak with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

— Sam Forsdick, Fortune, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of slowdown

Adjective

In IconArrows pointing outwards While Berkshire is making a bet that Lennar will benefit from a long-term recovery in the nation's troubled housing market, Morgan Stanley is pessimistic about the stock's more immediate future.

— Alex Crippen, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
Despite Senate Majority Leader John Thune's two-day campaign and fundraising trip to Georgia this month, some local party leaders were publicly pessimistic.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of pessimistic

Noun

The real tests are here Miami has already beaten a Wake Forest team that is looking like a dark horse team in the ACC and easily handled Clemson, which is on the downswing but has been one of the league’s top teams for the better part of the decade.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
The story has been updated to the early 2000s, where diehard baseball fan Joe Boyd dreams of his team, the Baltimore Orioles, which has been on downswing, returning to glory.

— Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of downswing

Noun

Some Wall Street analysts suggested Kreiz became too focused on the entertainment side of Mattel’s business, leading to stagnation in toy innovation and slower sales.

— Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
Unlike the appendage, where atrial fibrillation is necessary for clots to form, stagnation and clot formation can occur within the LASP even in a perfectly normal heart rhythm.

— Subramaniam C. Krishnan, STAT, 28 Sep. 2026