Upbeat

How to spell upbeat

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce upbeat

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does upbeat mean?

1. adjectiveCheerful, optimistic, and full of positive energy.
2. nounThe unaccented beat in a bar of music, especially the one preceding the strong downbeat.

Upbeat in a sentence

• adjective

  The manager kept an upbeat tone throughout the difficult meeting.

• noun

  The conductor signalled the entry on the upbeat before the first bar.

• adjective

  Despite the late delivery, her email stayed friendly and upbeat.

• noun

  The drummer placed the cymbal accent squarely on the upbeat.

Where does upbeat come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This is a compound formed in English from the everyday words 'up' and 'beat', and its earliest sense was strictly musical. In conducting, the 'upbeat' is the lifting of the baton or hand that precedes the strong downbeat, named because the gesture moves upward; this technical sense is recorded from the 1860s. Both elements are old: 'up' descends from Old English 'up' or 'uppe', meaning in or to a higher place, while 'beat' comes from Old English 'beatan', meaning to strike repeatedly. The cheerful, optimistic adjective is much younger, emerging in American English around the 1940s, probably reinforced by the bright, lively feel of 'up' in phrases like 'feeling up'. Because it is a transparent compound of two short, familiar words, the spelling rarely troubles adults, and there are no silent letters or doubled consonants to trip over.

How the word is built

• up- (upward)
• beat (a stroke or pulse in music)