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
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.
On the heels of that pullback, analysts were largely upbeat.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
When rugby union went professional in 1995, he captained Edinburgh and after retiring became a familiar face on TV for his energetic and upbeat commentary and punditry.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Shares of Figma shot higher late Thursday, after the design-software company extended its streak of earnings beats, and provided upbeat guidance to boot.
From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026
Cisco’s stock soars into record territory, after the networking giant announced plans to invest more in AI and upbeat earnings report.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
I’m sorry you weren’t there to see my dad try his best to be upbeat, cracking bad jokes in his speech, choking on his words.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
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.
