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
Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Amorim looked deflated, downbeat.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 2025
At some point, the film eventually goes through the motions until its inevitable downbeat climax, at which point its dramatic shortcomings become difficult to ignore.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Adjective
This is the downbeat tone and tenor of the Illinois law and other such laws being drafted.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Jan. 2026
Amorim looked deflated, downbeat.
—Mark Critchley, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026
Noun
At 1:35, the track thrives on a trashy downbeat and swaggering vocal line that suddenly morph into an EDM outro.
—Ernesto Lechner, Rolling Stone, 15 Dec. 2025
At some point, the film eventually goes through the motions until its inevitable downbeat climax, at which point its dramatic shortcomings become difficult to ignore.
—Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downbeat
Adjective
-
From what looked like a hopeless position just a few weeks ago, the subscribers are now off the bottom of the table and gearing up for a potential title challenge.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
And if the hypotheticals are not enough to dissuade, history is littered with teams trading away their future for immediate glories, seeing their plans implode, and being left with a ruinous future that becomes a hopeless present while another team reaps the benefits.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
While the boom steadied the region during the COVID pandemic, which saw entire industries changed overnight, some warehouses now sit empty, with many shuttering during a recent downturn.—
Melissa Gomez,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
When it was enacted, amendments were included to allow for adjustments during economic downturns and fiscal emergencies.—
J.B. Jennings,
Baltimore Sun,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
In his experiences and chronicles of the great ideological battles of the twentieth century, Curzio Malaparte was a shape-shifter—pitiless, clinical, cynical, unsentimental, indifferent to morality and idealism.—
Leah Downey,
The New York Review of Books,
7 Feb. 2026
-
That didn’t happen, not least because of the cynical fecklessness of regional powers.—
Juan Pablo Spinetto,
Twin Cities,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
More industries are retooling around AI after experiencing slowdowns in their core businesses.—
J.D. Capelouto,
semafor.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Advertisement Digestive slowdown and constipation Water is essential for moving things through your gastrointestinal system.—
Katharine Gammon,
Time,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Mounting layoff announcements in the past year, combined with the government’s own sluggish labor market reports, has left Americans increasingly pessimistic about the economy.—
Matt Ott,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
But people who do think AI will tend to reduce job availability in their field are even more pessimistic about the prospect of finding a job.—
Anthony Salvanto,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Abbott only made the series cut this year (Brunson is still nominated as an executive producer), but her acting snub signals that the aging comedy, currently in its fifth season, is on the downswing with awards bodies.—
Gerrad Hall,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Internet connectivity has been partially restored, but experts are warning that, even on the other side of the digital blackout, the outlook for Iranian internet access remains bleak.—
Kevin Liptak,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
-
In Havana, reaction to the president's upcoming contingency plan to grapple with fuel shortages was bleak.—
Orlando Matos,
NBC news,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Over and over again, the owners opt for organizational stagnation and attempt to disguise it as prudence.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Earnings growth is appearing in places where stagnation once defined the outlook.—
Krysta Escobar,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downbeat. Accessed 11 Feb. 2026.
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