upscale
Americanadjective
-
located at, moving toward, or of or for the upper end of a social or economic scale.
The boutique caters to upscale young career people.
-
luxurious, costly, or elegant.
verb (used with object)
noun
adjective
verb
Etymology
Origin of upscale
Explanation
Things that are upscale are made for rich people — they are high class, well made, or just plain pricey. If your friend takes you to a fancy, expensive restaurant for your birthday, you can describe it using the word upscale. Upscale neighborhoods are full of lovely, high-priced homes, and upscale vacations might involve yachts, exotic beaches, and private planes. Upscale is the opposite of downscale, which you could use to describe a run-down motel or a grubby, cheap diner. Both adjectives first came into use in the mid-1960s.
Vocabulary lists containing upscale
A Wealth Of Words: Synonyms for "Rich"
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Outcasts United
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The Parker Inheritance
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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.
Known for its upscale, trendy products and high prices, Erewhon has grown into a tourist destination in Los Angeles and a hot spot for celebrities and influencers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
It has also rolled out new sections for upscale baby products at around 200 stores, as well as a “concierge” service for parents seeking specific advice.
From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026
New Delhi sees the European bloc as an important source of much-needed technology and investment to rapidly upscale its infrastructure and create millions of new jobs.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
Such signs are now a fixture in Coronado, an upscale resort city on a slender peninsula in San Diego Bay, known for some of America’s best beaches.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026
Supermarket tabloids never provide an end-of-year list of false predictions by psychics, nor do the more upscale New Age periodicals, which, despite a veneer of sophistication, are just as fatuous.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
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.
