upscale
Americanadjective
-
located at, moving toward, or of or for the upper end of a social or economic scale.
The boutique caters to upscale young career people.
-
luxurious, costly, or elegant.
verb (used with object)
noun
adjective
verb
Etymology
Origin of upscale
Explanation
Things that are upscale are made for rich people — they are high class, well made, or just plain pricey. If your friend takes you to a fancy, expensive restaurant for your birthday, you can describe it using the word upscale. Upscale neighborhoods are full of lovely, high-priced homes, and upscale vacations might involve yachts, exotic beaches, and private planes. Upscale is the opposite of downscale, which you could use to describe a run-down motel or a grubby, cheap diner. Both adjectives first came into use in the mid-1960s.
Vocabulary lists containing upscale
A Wealth Of Words: Synonyms for "Rich"
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Outcasts United
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The Parker Inheritance
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Supplies were more available online and in more upscale markets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Earlier attempts to move upscale left memorable scars.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Hyper upscale grocer Erewhon at the center will reopen in January.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Since the pandemic, several new or revamped lodgings have boosted glamping and other upscale elements in a territory once better known for old cabins.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
Supermarket tabloids never provide an end-of-year list of false predictions by psychics, nor do the more upscale New Age periodicals, which, despite a veneer of sophistication, are just as fatuous.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Granted, this upscaled, agreeably rangy treatment of an adventure storyline that wouldn’t have been out of place on the show could have attempted more.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
China's community football projects have indeed been hugely upscaled, with pitches now accessible all over the country.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2025
The Nature Nanotechnology article describes an innovative graphene-based neurotechnology that can be upscaled using established semiconductor fabrication processes, holding the potential for a transformative impact.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2024
NBC would not confirm whether the feeds are 4K or upscaled 1080p when asked by The Verge.
From The Verge ● Jul. 29, 2021
The bigger question, propelling this feisty, funny and poignant comedy-drama arriving Friday, is how much its setting — Boyle Heights, Los Angeles — can be upscaled and “discovered” until it is no longer Boyle Heights.
From New York Times ● Feb. 20, 2020
For others, such as Leeds United in northern England and Spanish team Getafe, upscaling is essential to stay competitive in major leagues where player transfer fees and salaries are huge.
From Barron's ● Mar. 11, 2026
However, this upscaling only underscores the shortcomings of these images, leaving us not in awe of the heavens but adrift in the void.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
It made a big deal of PC-exclusive features including unlocked frame rates, upscaling tech and support for ultrawide displays seen as an advantage souped-up gaming rigs.
From BBC ● May 31, 2024
These findings provide strong evidence for integrating and upscaling nature-based components into coastal defenses, but the team advised doing so with caution.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 9, 2024
Making “Revanchist,” he returned to old project files dating back to 2014, rummaging through unfinished ideas and upscaling the freshest ones.
From New York Times ● Oct. 23, 2023
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
