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.
Her voice perfectly matched Burman's experimental, eclectic tunes, resulting in numerous hits that spanned genres - from soulful melodies to upbeat numbers.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
“While we remain upbeat about Broadcom’s core business, we see further upside as capped by rising industry constraints,” he says, questioning the ability for the company’s announced deployments to meet the planned timelines.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026
The denim giant provided the upbeat outlook, as well as its fiscal first-quarter results, as Wall Street tries to assess the war’s impact on consumer demand.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
Regardless, his care team says Peanut has remained remarkably upbeat.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026
I managed to stay upbeat when we explored the town and ate lunch together as a family.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
