as in hopeless
emphasizing or expecting the worst
a downbeat prediction for the company's sales performance in the upcoming year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in downturn
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Alison Herman, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
Consumers, however, remain downbeat and expect unemployment to rise this year.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 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
In bringing Camille and Issei to life, the two actors have helped build a world that’s worth the return trip, even one that’s a little less exciting and more downbeat than the maiden voyage.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 21 Jan. 2026
Consumers, however, remain downbeat and expect unemployment to rise this year.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 19 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
-
Moreover, Munis said, with enough notice a heavy-hitting Democrat might have entered the contest, instead of the lowly bunch now running hopeless campaigns.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Mar. 2026
-
And for the hopeless romantics among us, there’s confessions of love, yearning, and unlikely lovers.—
De Elizabeth,
Glamour,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That marked an unexpected downturn for the labor market as economists had expected an increase in job growth last month.—
Aimee Picchi,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Every other downturn has been either a single loss — or a slide of three or more.—
Kristian Winfield,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The result is a movie where the jokes are just mean, and the meanness isn’t funny, leading to a cynical denouement that’s been done many times before.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Fit matters, especially in a place as cold and cynical as an NFL locker room.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Persistent inflation above the Federal Reserve’s target and the job market slowdown had already prompted worries.—
Lorie Konish,
CNBC,
17 Mar. 2026
-
The school slowdown is made possible by Sammy’s Law, a 2024 law that enables the city to set speed limits on smaller roads lower than the statewide minimum.—
Evan Simko-Bednarski,
New York Daily News,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Throughout the proceedings there’s a strangely pessimistic view of the internet.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Many traders appear to be pessimistic about a sustained crypto advance.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
After a little early-2000s time on a downswing, the combo of a pink, translucent base and white tips has become a beautiful no-brainer for so many of us.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
17 Mar. 2026
-
That group had known nothing but playing into February until the 6-11 downswing last season.—
Sam McDowell
Updated March 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
After a week of bleak, rainy weather, spring breakers finally got a nice beach day on Friday.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2026
-
In her endeavor to exalt such a bleak world, Zuniga seems to be battling herself.—
Vrinda Jagota,
Pitchfork,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Polls give Magyar's Tisza party a double-digit lead with Hungarians weary of years of corruption accusations, clashes with the EU and economic stagnation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Later this month, design critics and retail analysts will be scrutinizing the introduction of a slew of new products in the first collection by global creative director Jonathan Cheung for signs of stagnation or renaissance.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downbeat. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
