downbeat

1 of 2

noun

down·​beat ˈdau̇n-ˌbēt 

1

: the downward stroke of a conductor indicating the principally accented note of a measure of music

also : the first beat of a measure

2

: a decline in activity or prosperity

downbeat

2 of 2

adjective

: pessimistic, gloomy

a downbeat assessment

Synonyms

Adjective

• bearish
• defeatist
• despairing
• hopeless
• pessimistic

Examples of downbeat in a Sentence

Adjective

a downbeat prediction for the company's sales performance in the upcoming year

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For 2nd time in a row, S&P sees annual gain over 20% NEW YORK -- Another milestone-shattering year for U.S. stocks ended Tuesday with indexes closing mostly lower as the market delivered a downbeat finish on the final day of Wall Street trading. —Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 1 Jan. 2025

While sentiment remained downbeat in Europe, U.S. markets opened higher on Thursday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounding 0.9%. —Sophie Kiderlin,holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 19 Dec. 2024

Adjective

When expectations get terribly low in fear of an earnings miss and a downbeat view of the future, all that is needed is an inline result and some positive leading indicators about the future to get the stock to trade higher. —Jeff Marks, CNBC, 31 Jan. 2025

The anticipation of the future Hall of Fame defenseman’s first game this season was such that Jim Hiller brought some levity to end a downbeat media session after a one-sided loss to Pittsburgh on Monday. —Eric Stephens, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1766, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1950, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

downbeat

noun

down·​beat

ˈdau̇n-ˌbēt

: the downward stroke of a conductor indicating the principally accented note of a measure of music