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
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Recent Examples of downbeat
Paulina Likos, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026
Verdicts of the constitutional court cannot be appealed and Caruso was downbeat.
—Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 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
This manufacturer of robotic surgical systems recently reported a downbeat quarter.
—Paulina Likos, CNBC, 17 Apr. 2026
Verdicts of the constitutional court cannot be appealed and Caruso was downbeat.
—Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 14 Mar. 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
-
To Some New Island Guests With a competitive streak a mile wide, Penny (Roorbach) is charming, popular, and a hopeless romantic – for now, anyway.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
7 May 2026
-
This behavior has become epidemic in our voyeuristic and hopeless society.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
The writers most affected by the industry downturn are the ones who couldn’t afford private school in the first place.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
4 May 2026
-
Prior administration has proactively refunded taxpayers in past misfortune and calamity events, and/or major economic downturns.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
4 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
And work, as this alternately breezy and quite pessimistic crowdpleaser is quick to remind us, isn’t to be taken for granted.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Horowitz, for his part, is not pessimistic about where this lands.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
Speaking at an event held at the Aloft Hotel in Doral, a hub for Venezuelan diaspora activism, Guanipa painted a bleak picture of conditions inside Venezuela and sharply criticized the country’s current leadership, accusing those in power of clinging to control despite widespread rejection.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 May 2026
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Without giving too much away about the endings of Caveat and Oddity, McCarthy (like Ohm) leans toward the bleak and open-ended.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Coach Ime Udoka’s team improved in each of his first two seasons before some level of stagnation in his third year leading the team.—
Varun Shankar,
Houston Chronicle,
4 May 2026
-
They are prepped to run the ball more frequently, or at least run it more effectively, in hopes that this solves the stagnation — rather than personnel shouldering the load.—
Sam McDowell,
Kansas City Star,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Downbeat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/downbeat. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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