UPRIGHT Synonyms: 164 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'upright' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of upright are conscientious , honest , honorable , just , and scrupulous . While all these words mean "having or showing a strict regard for what is morally right," upright implies a strict adherence to moral principles. // a stern and upright minister

Q: How are the words 'conscientious' and 'scrupulous' related as synonyms of 'upright'?

Both conscientious and scrupulous imply an active moral sense governing all one's actions and painstaking efforts to follow one's conscience. // conscientious in the completion of her assignments // scrupulous in carrying out the terms of the will

Q: When might 'honest' be a better fit than 'upright'?

In some situations, the words honest and upright are roughly equivalent. However, honest stresses adherence to such virtues as truthfulness, candor, or fairness. // known for being honest in business dealings

Q: When can 'honorable' be used instead of 'upright'?

The synonyms honorable and upright are sometimes interchangeable, but honorable suggests a firm holding to codes of right behavior and the guidance of a high sense of honor and duty. // a difficult but honorable decision

Q: When is 'just' a more appropriate choice than 'upright'?

While in some cases nearly identical to upright , just stresses conscious choice and regular practice of what is right or equitable. // workers given just compensation

upright

adjective

ˈəp-ˌrīt

Definition of upright

as in honorable

conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue an honest and upright people

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in honest

following the accepted rules of moral conduct informing the clerk that he had just given me back too much in change was the only upright thing to do

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in vertical

rising straight up only one pillar of the ruined temple remained upright

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective upright differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of upright are conscientious, honest, honorable, just, and scrupulous. While all these words mean "having or showing a strict regard for what is morally right," upright implies a strict adherence to moral principles.

a stern and upright minister

How are the words conscientious and scrupulous related as synonyms of upright?

Both conscientious and scrupulous imply an active moral sense governing all one's actions and painstaking efforts to follow one's conscience.

conscientious in the completion of her assignments

scrupulous in carrying out the terms of the will

When might honest be a better fit than upright?

In some situations, the words honest and upright are roughly equivalent. However, honest stresses adherence to such virtues as truthfulness, candor, or fairness.

known for being honest in business dealings

When can honorable be used instead of upright?

The synonyms honorable and upright are sometimes interchangeable, but honorable suggests a firm holding to codes of right behavior and the guidance of a high sense of honor and duty.

a difficult but honorable decision

When is just a more appropriate choice than upright?

While in some cases nearly identical to upright, just stresses conscious choice and regular practice of what is right or equitable.

workers given just compensation

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 upright According to Haltom, your outdoor rug should be stored in a dry space, either lying on the floor or standing upright. — Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 1 Sep. 2026 During an Amazon Web Services outage in 2026, for example, smart beds were stuck in their upright positions and their users couldn’t adjust them. — Dina Genkina, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Sep. 2026 According to Cole, Matheson remained upright after the lightning struck. — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026 Once the arms and back were bolted in place, the chair was ready to flip upright. — Kimberly Gedeon, PC Magazine, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for upright

Recent Examples of Synonyms for upright

Adjective

The group meets monthly and is open to those with honorable, general and other-than-honorable discharges.

— Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 2 Sep. 2026
All persons having business before this honorable court are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the court is now sitting.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of honorable

Adjective

Rational, honest people understand that a part of her appeal is to middle America, particularly white people in middle America.

— Bobby Burack OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
There’s a lot in this film to be honest, but the first one that comes to mind is probably a moment where Tyler is leading his group in a conversation with the king for the first time.

— Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of honest

Adjective

In the last big vertical ladder section, Hector and I reached peak levels of awareness of our surroundings.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026
The company conducted the flights using its Chaparral hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft in Louisiana.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of vertical

Adjective

In neither case, by today's standards, were the operations fair or ethical on a number of fronts.

— Space.com Staff, Space.com, 5 Sep. 2026
As these tasks fell outside the scope of the employees' official duties, the directive amounted to a violation of ethical standards, the report concluded.

— Andrea Hsu, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of ethical

Adjective

It’s been a respectable run, but both of those seasons ended in dispiriting wild-card knockouts.

— Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
The respectable but not outsized viewership was coupled with the high cost for the lavish production, which filmed both color and black & white versions.

— Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of respectable

Adjective

There's also a small flip up carry loop, which is a nice feature for a bottle with a comparably wide diameter.

— Emily Farris, Bon Appetit Magazine, 7 Sep. 2026
Nor are there many studios with two full baths, a nice perk owed to the combination of two apartments and potentially a key to relationship harmony in the mornings.

— Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of nice

Adjective

In hip-hop and other genres, producers were using snippets of other people’s records; courts often ruled that this was a form of theft, although hip-hop fans tended to see it as righteous theft.

— Kelefa Sanneh, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
This led to a segment on Newsmax in which anchor Carl Higbie deleted one Jelly Roll song from his phone on air, demonstrating the apparent righteous power of tapping a touch-screen button.

— Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of righteous

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uprears

upright

uprightness

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“Upright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upright. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of upright

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