as in hopeless
emphasizing or expecting the worst
a downbeat prediction for the company's sales performance in the upcoming year
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in downturn
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Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of downbeat
Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Why is all so downbeat, when Illinois has strengths and assets that other states envy?
—Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Steve Holland, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
There’s precedent — both in the U.S. and internationally — to suggest these downbeat forecasts aren’t hyperbole.
—Greg Iacurci,jessica Dickler, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Adjective
Verdicts of the constitutional court cannot be appealed and Caruso was downbeat.
—Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 2026
Why is all so downbeat, when Illinois has strengths and assets that other states envy?
—Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
Trump has frequently criticized both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelenskyy but seemed more downbeat once again on the Ukrainian president.
—Steve Holland, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026
There’s precedent — both in the U.S. and internationally — to suggest these downbeat forecasts aren’t hyperbole.
—Greg Iacurci,jessica Dickler, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for downbeat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for downbeat
Adjective
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Kay seems to be more of a relentless romantic than a hopeless one.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The Swiss Eugen Bleuler, a follower of Kraepelin, replaced the term dementia praecox, which implied hopeless deterioration, with the softer term schizophrenia.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Earnings from India’s bellwether software services exporters have reinforced investor concerns about the sector’s growth prospects, signaling that the downturn in their stocks has further to run.—
Ashutosh Joshi,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
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The company in March Nielsen delayed the release of the February results of its popular tabulation after some clients became alarmed by a downturn in streaming audiences following a decision by the measurement giant to add new data to its mix.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Senate Bill 6-D, one of the cynical subjects of this special session, would have further weakened Florida’s childhood vaccination rates, which have already sunk too low.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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Both Angela Ingersoll, who played the ever-hopeful Sally, and Michelle Duffy, as the cynical realist Phyllis, pulsed with vivacious energy, playing across from Rapp’s sardonic take on wound-tight Ben and Wallem’s deeply sad exploration of Buddy.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The United Nations Development Programme reports that higher energy prices, disrupted food systems, and economic slowdowns triggered by the war could push up to thirty-two million people globally into poverty.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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Beijing has been somewhat insulated from the conflict’s fallout thanks to its oil stockpile and aggressive push for renewables, but experts say it could be squeezed as a result of slowdowns in its key export markets.—
Prashant Rao,
semafor.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Horowitz, for his part, is not pessimistic about where this lands.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Apr. 2026
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Yet Kang is pessimistic that users will actually adopt adequate security practices given rabid AI adoption.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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After a little early-2000s time on a downswing, the combo of a pink, translucent base and white tips has become a beautiful no-brainer for so many of us.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
17 Mar. 2026
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That group had known nothing but playing into February until the 6-11 downswing last season.—
Sam McDowell
Updated March 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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At first glance, AI companions for lonely seniors can seem dystopian, looking less like innovation than a bleak sign of social failure.—
Catherine Thorbecke,
Twin Cities,
25 Apr. 2026
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Things are impossibly bleak for the Rockets, which were without Kevin Durant for the second game this series.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The result is a growing sense of stagnation across the workforce.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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After several years of stagnation in the housing market, home prices are actually declining slightly.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downbeat. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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