upright

American  

[uhp-rahyt, uhp-rahyt] / ˈʌpˌraɪt, ʌpˈraɪt /

adjective

1. erect or vertical, as in position or posture.

   Synonyms:

   vertical, perpendicular, plumb

   Antonyms:

   horizontal, recumbent

2. raised or directed vertically or upward.

3. adhering to rectitude; righteous, honest, or just.

   an upright person.

   Synonyms:

   honorable

4. being in accord with what is right.

   upright dealings.

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noun

• uprights
  plural

1. the state of being upright or vertical.

2. something standing erect or vertical, as a piece of timber.

   Synonyms:

   column, pile, pillar, prop, pole

3. an upright piano.

4. Chiefly Football. Usually uprights. the goalposts.

adverb

1. in an upright position or direction; vertically.

verb (used with object)

1. to make upright.

upright British  

/ ˈʌpˌraɪt /

adjective

1. vertical or erect

2. honest, honourable, or just

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adverb

1. vertically

noun

1. a vertical support, such as a stake or post

2. short for upright piano

3. the state of being vertical

verb

1. (tr) to make upright

upright Idioms  

1. see bolt upright.

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Synonym Usage

Upright, erect, vertical, perpendicular imply that something is in the posture of being straight upward, not leaning. That which is upright is in a position corresponding to that of a person standing up: a decaying tree no longer standing upright; an upright piano. Erect emphasizes the straightness of position or posture: proud and erect; A flagpole stands erect. Vertical suggests upward direction, especially along the shortest line from the earth to a level above it: the vertical edge of a door; ornamented by vertical lines. Perpendicular, a term frequently interchangeable with vertical, is used especially in mathematics: the perpendicular side of a right triangle; to erect a perpendicular line from the base of a figure.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonuprightness
  noun
• uprightness
  noun
• nonupright
  adjective
• nonuprightly
  adverb
• uprightly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• uprights
  plural

Etymology

Origin of upright

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English upriht (cognate with German aufrecht ); see up, right

Explanation

Something that's upright stands straight up. When you sit upright, your back is straight and vertical. Even your grandmother would approve of your posture. Most cars have seats that can fold forward or lean back, and then snap upright, back into a normal sitting position; and when you're in class, you're usually expected to sit upright, facing your teacher at the front of the room. Another way to use upright is to mean "upstanding" or "trustworthy," so if your friend finds a wallet full of money and returns it to its owner, you can call her an upright citizen.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

upright uprights

Softly bend your knees, while still remaining tall and upright.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

"That helps keep us upright, but it also makes walking more of an effort."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

More than 60 passengers were on board the commuter-line train but nobody was injured and it remained upright, according to investigators and the East of England Ambulance Service.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

The book’s hero is an upbeat, morally upright counselor named Ben Frost, who activated the boys’ noblest impulses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Everybody says that when Cleopatra’s Needle arrives in the park, they’re going to put an iron belt around it and the wooden structure will turn the obelisk so it stands upright.

From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman

Data experts Opta produce an xGK figure, similar to the xG value attached to shots at goal in football, which assesses the likelihood of a particular kicker splitting the uprights from different distances and angles.

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

And when Wil Lutz’s try sailed through the uprights, the clock read 0:00—and the Giants were left in total disbelief.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2025

Carlson headed onto the field, but his 58-yard try with 2:21 left never got near the uprights.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2024

No mistake from the out-half, splits the uprights.

From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024

Its lid did not fold back in sections like other uprights.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Related Words

• conscientious
• ethical
• impartial
• noble
• principled
• pure
• righteous
• straightforward
• trustworthy
• upstanding
• virtuous