noun
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music
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a usually unaccented beat, esp the last in a bar
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the upward gesture of a conductor's baton indicating this Compare downbeat
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an upward trend (in prosperity, etc)
adjective
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of upbeat
1865–70; 1950–55 upbeat for def. 3; up- + beat
Explanation
If you tend to be cheerful and positive no matter what's going on, your friends probably describe you as upbeat. When your soccer coach wants to be encouraging, she gives the team an upbeat speech. Need to cheer yourself up? Spend some time with an upbeat friend, watch an upbeat movie, or listen to some upbeat music. This informal adjective comes from the word's original musical meaning, "the beat of a bar at which the conductor's baton is in a raised position." Music writers in the 1940s used the slang phrase "on the upbeat" to mean "getting better." The "cheerful" meaning followed around 1947.
Vocabulary lists containing upbeat
Cindy Williams (1947–2023) Tribute List
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Louisiana’s Way Home
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Zara's Rules for Record-Breaking Fun
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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:
Equities dropped after an upbeat start to the week.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
In Wells Fargo’s most upbeat scenario, continued strength from Muse, Reels and the core advertising business could drive the stock to $1,211.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Now white haired with a neatly trimmed beard and sunken cheeks, Bakker’s once upbeat delivery and playful repartee with guests had been replaced by a grim figure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
He’s upbeat on the longer-term outlook for crypto, seeing tailwinds in investors reconsidering their exposure to the dollar and U.S. government debt amid fiscal-health concerns, which can support demand for gold and digital currencies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
But there were clues hidden in these upbeat, cheerful notes.
From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda
“He took care with short notes that shouldn’t be hurried over, and with upbeats, which can be more important than downbeats — all the things that magic is made of.”
From New York Times ● Jun. 6, 2017
An unusually upbeat beginning to the festival, then, or at least it would have been were Dennehy's upbeats more easily distinguished from his down.
From The Guardian ● Nov. 19, 2012
Tuesday’s first set began as the album does: with “España,” a kinetic concoction set in 5/4 meter, its springy melody hitting the upbeats in a minor scale.
From New York Times ● Apr. 6, 2011
The first important bebop drummers, of which he was one, used silences and moderation and self-imposed restrictions to make their sneaked upbeats pop more vividly.
From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2010
Turnage was lucky to find an ideal conductor in David Robertson, a musician both consistently upbeat and unfailingly precise with his upbeats.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 27, 2010
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.
