downbeat

[doun-beet]

noun

Music.

1. the downward stroke of a conductor's arm or baton indicating the first or accented beat of a measure.

2. the first beat of a measure.

adjective

1. gloomy or depressing; pessimistic.

   Hollywood movies seldom have downbeat endings.

downbeat

/ ˈdaʊnˌbiːt /

noun

1. music the first beat of a bar or the downward gesture of a conductor's baton indicating this Compare upbeat

adjective

1. informal,  depressed; gloomy

2. informal,  relaxed; unemphatic

Word History and Origins

Origin of downbeat¹

1875–80; down ¹ + beat (noun)

Example Sentences

It’s not only downbeat but frustrating, like a tale of unbreakable addiction.

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On Main Street, where surveys show consumers are increasingly downbeat, more Americans are now handing over their gold to jewelry stores or repair shops to be melted down and sold.

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A glitch that gave investors an early peek at downbeat news about Humana is turning out to be a positive for shares of the health insurer and its rivals.

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The analysts cited a downbeat combination of tariff pressures, rising competition, and shrinking margins.

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The bank’s longstanding leader said he was far more worried than others about a serious stock market correction, in an interview with the BBC, but didn’t sound too downbeat on AI.

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