upright

American  

[uhp-rahyt, uhp-rahyt] / ˈʌpˌraɪt, ʌpˈraɪt /

adjective

1. erect or vertical, as in position or posture.

   Synonyms:

   vertical, perpendicular, plumb

   Antonyms:

   horizontal, recumbent

2. raised or directed vertically or upward.

3. adhering to rectitude; righteous, honest, or just.

   an upright person.

   Synonyms:

   honorable

4. being in accord with what is right.

   upright dealings.

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noun

uprights plural

1. the state of being upright or vertical.

2. something standing erect or vertical, as a piece of timber.

   Synonyms:

   column, pile, pillar, prop, pole

3. an upright piano.

4. Chiefly Football. Usually uprights. the goalposts.

adverb

1. in an upright position or direction; vertically.

verb (used with object)

1. to make upright.

upright British  

/ ˈʌpˌraɪt /

adjective

1. vertical or erect

2. honest, honourable, or just

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adverb

1. vertically

noun

1. a vertical support, such as a stake or post

2. short for upright piano

3. the state of being vertical

verb

1. (tr) to make upright

upright Idioms  

1. see bolt upright.

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Synonym Usage

Upright, erect, vertical, perpendicular imply that something is in the posture of being straight upward, not leaning. That which is upright is in a position corresponding to that of a person standing up: a decaying tree no longer standing upright; an upright piano. Erect emphasizes the straightness of position or posture: proud and erect; A flagpole stands erect. Vertical suggests upward direction, especially along the shortest line from the earth to a level above it: the vertical edge of a door; ornamented by vertical lines. Perpendicular, a term frequently interchangeable with vertical, is used especially in mathematics: the perpendicular side of a right triangle; to erect a perpendicular line from the base of a figure.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonuprightness
  noun
• uprightness
  noun
• nonupright
  adjective
• nonuprightly
  adverb
• uprightly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• uprights
  plural

Etymology

Origin of upright

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English upriht (cognate with German aufrecht ); see up, right

Explanation

Something that's upright stands straight up. When you sit upright, your back is straight and vertical. Even your grandmother would approve of your posture. Most cars have seats that can fold forward or lean back, and then snap upright, back into a normal sitting position; and when you're in class, you're usually expected to sit upright, facing your teacher at the front of the room. Another way to use upright is to mean "upstanding" or "trustworthy," so if your friend finds a wallet full of money and returns it to its owner, you can call her an upright citizen.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upright uprights

When humans adopted an upright bipedal gait, the spine retained these functions.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

LeCun holds a pen upright on its tip.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

“He was a very upright, very honest man,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Arrange your dinosaur nuggets upright so they look like they’re standing.

From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026

I could tell it was no table because it walked upright like a man.

From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney

Data experts Opta produce an xGK figure, similar to the xG value attached to shots at goal in football, which assesses the likelihood of a particular kicker splitting the uprights from different distances and angles.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

“Field goals have got to go through the uprights, punts got to go outside the numbers with good hang time and kickoffs got to get on the ground just like any other game,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026

The kick duly sailed through the uprights, putting the Seahawks up 18-16—and spoiling Rivers’s return after nearly five years in retirement.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

Ben Healy makes no mistake as his kick sails through the uprights.

From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024

The old man’s feet in their black kid shoes braced against the uprights.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Related Words

• conscientious
• ethical
• impartial
• noble
• principled
• pure
• righteous
• straightforward
• trustworthy
• upstanding
• virtuous