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
as in downturn
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of downbeat
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Trump has frequently criticized both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy but seemed more downbeat once again on the Ukrainian president.
—Steve Holland, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
American consumers in December remained downbeat about the state of the economy, a new survey shows.
—CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Adjective
Consumers, however, remain downbeat and expect unemployment to rise this year.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Trump has frequently criticized both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy but seemed more downbeat once again on the Ukrainian president.
—Steve Holland, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
Noun
The downbeat for Kapanen is consistency.
—Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
American consumers in December remained downbeat about the state of the economy, a new survey shows.
—CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downbeat
Adjective
-
In a more simplistic story, Derya and Aziz’s efforts to find a good private school for their daughter would come off as a hopeless bourgeois indulgence.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
-
The result has been a bloodbath in the state of Sinaloa, with thousands killed, thousands more missing and the violence reaching such heights that the Mexican government looks hopeless, if not hapless.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In an analysis by energy consultancy Wood Mackenzie, researchers noted that the nearest historical analogue would be the 1970s, when an oil supply crisis sparked downturns in several countries around the world.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
2 Mar. 2026
-
By late December, Iran was facing an economic downturn, rampant inflation and a collapse in its currency.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
28 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Craig Robinson is Reggie’s nemesis, as the aforementioned Jerry Basmati, a rival player (and cynical Christian), who inherited the post-gridiron media career Reggie imagined for himself.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
-
To some leaders of the Council, President Harry Truman’s early recognition of the Jewish state in 1948 was not a great human-rights advance but a cynical gambit to pander to a bloc of voters and improve his chance of being reëlected in 1948.—
Nicholas Lemann,
New Yorker,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
With the next round of debuts and sophomore shows, their houses need solid creative foundations to further recover from the luxury slowdown.—
Lucy Maguire,
Vogue,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Home Depot saw a decline in profit in 2025 amid a slowdown in the housing market and economic uncertainty.—
Kelly Yamanouchi,
AJC.com,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
This is a pessimistic line of thinking.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
-
But the most pessimistic scenarios are, for the moment, unlikely.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The downward trends — which criminologists say are in line with a national downswing in killings and violence in many big cities — describe a year at times punctuated by cases that rattled the city and dominated headlines, including the fatal shooting of two migrants at a Dallas immigration office.—
Chase Rogers,
Dallas Morning News,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Both studio efforts appear on at least one additional roster, and the blockbusters are on the downswing on each and every one of them.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
These events aren’t illuminating, and feel instead like a bleak betrayal.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The outlook is bleak for Spurs.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After a few years of post-pandemic stagnation, Lake County is once again seeing investment dollars being pumped into the local economy.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Feb. 2026
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Facing tough odds in an upcoming election, Hungary’s pro-Russian prime minister is trying to convince voters that the greatest threat to the country is not economic stagnation — the focus of his top opponent — but neighboring Ukraine.—
Justin Spike,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downbeat. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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