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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as in downturn
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of downbeat
Dwight Garner, New York Times, 13 May 2025
This underperformance can be attributed to a downbeat Q4 report and a pessimistic outlook shared by the company in February, which negatively impacted investor sentiment.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2025
Cox was a bit more downbeat on the new law of the land.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Adjective
His father was a mostly unsuccessful lawyer, a downbeat man who also worked as a shopkeeper, postmaster and judge.
—Dwight Garner, New York Times, 13 May 2025
This underperformance can be attributed to a downbeat Q4 report and a pessimistic outlook shared by the company in February, which negatively impacted investor sentiment.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 9 May 2025
Noun
The move came as Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Trump’s tariffs would have a major negative impact on the U.S. economy, downbeat remarks that sent stocks sharply lower in afternoon trading.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2025
Cox was a bit more downbeat on the new law of the land.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downbeat
Adjective
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Those who are convinced they’re trapped stay helpless and hopeless.—
Amy Morin,
CNBC,
12 June 2025
-
In a world where the powerful increasingly act with impunity, taking fictional villains to task makes sense, a form of Hollywood wish fulfillment for those who feel stuck or hopeless.—
Whitney Friedlander,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
Noun
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The downturn in the property sector has led to more non-performing loans, subsequently squeezing net interest margins due to lower lending rates and a slowdown in loan demand.—
Sergei Klebnikov,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
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Parker’s firm identified Altria as a stock that works in market downturns, but which also has good price momentum and a cheap valuation relative to its history.—
John Melloy,
CNBC,
12 June 2025
Adjective
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Robbins will play Russell Kind, a rough and grizzled settler with a cynical world view.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
12 June 2025
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Of course, given the ubiquity of such ambitious politicians of all flavors, everywhere, all the time, the charge of cynical opportunism has fairly short legs.—
Dain Fitzgerald,
The Washington Examiner,
6 June 2025
Noun
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The report pointed to a spike in immigration and retirements, coupled with a slowdown in U.S.-born working-age population growth.—
Bailey Schulz,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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Nearly 26 percent of the population worries that Wall Street might hit rock bottom, says Resonate, and concerns of a broader economic slowdown have increased by 17.5 percent to 46 percent.—
Suzanne Blake,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
Adjective
-
CEOs’ responses were pessimistic about many business factors.—
Megan Poinski,
Forbes.com,
9 June 2025
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Still, some scholars remain pessimistic about the odds of deciphering khipus with any certainty.—
Sam Kean,
The Atlantic,
26 May 2025
Noun
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The New York Jets enter the 2025-26 NFL season on the downswing and in need of more help, especially on the offensive end.—
Seth Quinn,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 May 2025
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Other sectors on the downswing: Professional and business services, down 3,900; retail, down 2,000; financial activities, down 1,300; information, down 1,100, and construction, down 600.—
Phillip Molnar,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 May 2025
Adjective
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The somewhat bleak outlook was laid bare Tuesday night after the USMNT was thrashed 4-0 by Switzerland during a friendly in Nashville.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
11 June 2025
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Instead of learning from this bleak recent history, Americans are now painfully absorbing this lesson by repeating it.—
Jonathan Haskel,
Foreign Affairs,
10 June 2025
Noun
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The fear of stagnation, of ending up on autopilot, a fear of repetition, of just getting stuck.—
William Earl,
Variety,
11 June 2025
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As the United Kingdom learned after Brexit, uncertainty produces grinding stagnation in capital investment and R & D by private companies.—
Jonathan Haskel,
Foreign Affairs,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Downbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downbeat. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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