up-and-down

[uhp-uhn-doun]

adjective

1. moving alternately up and down.

   the up-and-down swing of levers; an up-and-down tune.

2. having an uneven surface.

   up-and-down countryside.

3. changeable.

   up-and-down luck.

4. perpendicular or nearly so.

   a straight up-and-down hillside.

up-and-down

adjective

1. moving, executed, or formed alternately upwards and downwards

2. very steep; vertical

adverb

1. backwards and forwards (along)

Other Word Forms

• up-and-downness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of up-and-down¹

First recorded in 1610–20

Example Sentences

The 1990s were an up-and-down period for Redford.

From Los Angeles Times

At a point he has so often spiraled in his up-and-down Dodgers tenure, the right-hander instead found a rhythm by retiring 10 in a row, managing to pitch into the seventh in a 6 ⅔ inning, one-run outing.

From Los Angeles Times

Their previous movie, “The Climb,” was also about two friends locked into an up-and-down relationship alternating between of moments of betrayal and gestures of support.

From Los Angeles Times

In the last week, trade rumors have started to swirl around May, the oft-injured right-hander who is finally healthy this season — but also having an up-and-down campaign in his final year before free agency.

From Los Angeles Times

Scheffler had to scrap for his qualifying card to the Korn Ferry Tour, only clinching his playing status in 2019 with a dramatic up-and-down par save - which he later described as the most important scramble of his career.

From BBC