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Synonyms

upscale

American  
[uhp-skeyl, uhp-skeyl, uhp-skeyl] / ˈʌpˈskeɪl, ʌpˈskeɪl, ˈʌpˌskeɪl /

adjective

  1. 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.

  2. luxurious, costly, or elegant.

verb (used with object)

upscaled, upscaling

  1. to improve the quality, value, or rating of.

    a five-year plan to upscale the neighborhood.

noun

(used with a plural verb)

  1. elegant, elite, privileged persons collectively.

    shops that only the upscale can afford to patronize.
upscale British  

adjective

  1. of or for the upper end of an economic or social scale; up-market

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to increase the scale of

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of upscale

An Americanism dating back to 1970–75; up- + scale 3

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.

For example, earlier this year, the couple wrote about how they live an upscale lifestyle abroad in Ecuador on a Social Security budget.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Burdell, an upscale restaurant serving nostalgic soul food, is the latest to be caught in contentious online debates about the U.S. tip culture.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

Over the course of several meetings, including one at an upscale Austrian diner built into a 12th-century monastery, the men said they wanted to feel out the government’s thinking.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

In Beirut, strikes this week have largely targeted the Dahieh area, but one early on Wednesday hit a hotel in an upscale suburb in the east of the city.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

Among the upscale houses, you see the occasional bungalow with cardboard stuffed in a broken window and a pickup truck parked in the side yard.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

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.