upscale

1 of 3

adjective

up·​scale ˈəp-ˈskāl 

: relating to, being, or appealing to affluent consumers

also : of a superior quality

upscale

2 of 3

verb

upscaled; upscaling; upscales

transitive verb

1

: to make (something) more appealing to affluent consumers : to make (something) more upscale

The council is renaming them the Fashion Awards, globalizing them, moving the hoopla around them to the Royal Albert Hall and otherwise upscaling them.

—Vanessa Friedman

"Everybody's trying to upscale men's colognes because the prestige brands have taken share from the mass brands," says cosmetics industry consultant Allan Mottus.

—Ronald Alsop

also : to improve the quality of (something)

… even retained a handwriting teacher to upscale her penmanship—no more tiny circles over her i's.

—Brad Darrach

2

: to increase the size; scope, or scale of (something)

A star is an upscaled nuclear reactor, not a bonfire.

—Laurence A. Marschall

As a result, an upscaling of the problem of underrepresentation to the national scale mobilizes scalar politics …

—Emily Skop

upscale

3 of 3

adverb

: to or toward the upper, more expensive end of a range of products or services

He tried to move upscale—toward higher-cost, higher-profit garments, which, in theory, would be less susceptible to price competition.

—James Lardner

… chef Celestino Drago has taken Sicilian cuisine upscale in his chic Santa Monica restaurant.

—Thomas Matthews

Synonyms

Adjective

• exclusive
• high-end
• upmarket

Examples of upscale in a Sentence

Adjective

a new upscale shopping center is under construction on the west end of town

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The hotel’s upscale nightlife destination, Haven Lounge, will be hosting a New Year’s Eve celebration headlined by electronic dance duo Bonnie X Clyde. —Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 26 Dec. 2024

The year began in upscale style with the January grand opening of Perennial Corktown, a new seven-story, 188-unit apartment building at 1611 Michigan Ave., across from the former site of Tigers Stadium. —Jc Reindl, Detroit Free Press, 25 Dec. 2024

Verb

And trying to upscale an already blurry, noisy photo is just going to result in sadness. —Allison Johnson, The Verge, 18 Dec. 2024

The scientists are exploring ways to upscale the filter for use in rivers. —Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1966, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1977, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing upscale

• go/move upscale

Kids Definition

upscale

adjective

up·​scale

ˈəp-ˈskāl

: relating to, being, or appealing to wealthy consumers

upscale shops

: of a superior quality

upscale products