downbeat

[ doun-beet ]

/ ˈdaʊnˌbit /

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See synonyms for: downbeat / downbeats on Thesaurus.com

noun Music.

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

the first beat of a measure.

adjective

gloomy or depressing; pessimistic: Hollywood movies seldom have downbeat endings.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of downbeat

1875–80; down¹ + beat (noun)

Words nearby downbeat

down, down-and-dirty, down-and-out, down-at-the-heels, down-ballot, downbeat, down-bow, downburst, down card, downcast, down cold, have

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use downbeat in a sentence

In jazz, musicians are trained to swing eighth notes, or extend the duration of their downbeats — every other eighth note — and shorten the beats in between to create a galloping rhythm.
Here’s where jazz gets its swing|Nikk Ogasa|October 6, 2022|Science News
At a Delhi gathering after his arrest, downbeat editors spoke on the chilling effect the attacks on the media were having on newsrooms.
‘They Can Target Anybody’: India’s War on Free Press Is in High Gear|Kavitha Iyer|August 1, 2022|Time
Some may see the decidedly not-tragic ending of The Man Who Sold His Skin as a copout, a betrayal of the story’s more downbeat undertones.
In the Oscar-Nominated The Man Who Sold His Skin, a Refugee Stakes His Future on a Tattoo|Stephanie Zacharek|April 9, 2021|Time
Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst for Bankrate, welcomed the news, especially after months of downbeat economic trends.
Jobless claims fall to lowest level of the pandemic|Hannah Denham|March 25, 2021|Washington Post

The response from Simple customers has been predictably downbeat.
BBVA says that it is shutting down banking app Simple, will transfer users to BBVA USA|Ingrid Lunden|January 7, 2021|TechCrunch
Why did the Russian Ministry of Culture help to finance such a downbeat portrait of contemporary Russia?
Inside ‘Leviathan’: Russian Filmmaker Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Award-Winning Anti-Putin Cannes Film|Richard Porton|May 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Most affecting is his romance with a cute, downbeat girl inmate named Andrea.
Must-Read Debuts|Taylor Antrim|October 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Full of lively, comic storytelling and resonant in theme—youth ends; how sad—it casts a downbeat and very of-the-moment mood.
Gen-X's Midlife Crisis Continues|Taylor Antrim|July 12, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, The New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, the New Yorker, and more.
Ladies’ Night|Stanley Crouch|March 29, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Stanley Crouch's culture pieces have appeared in Harper's, the New York Times, Vogue, Downbeat, the New Yorker, and more.
White House Race War|Stanley Crouch|February 27, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for downbeat

downbeat

/ (ˈdaʊnˌbiːt) /

noun

music the first beat of a bar or the downward gesture of a conductor's baton indicating thisCompare upbeat

adjective

informal depressed; gloomy

informal relaxed; unemphatic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

downbeat

Origin of downbeat

Words nearby downbeat

Words related to downbeat

How to use downbeat in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for downbeat