downbeat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Sentiment was decidedly downbeat as the trading week got under way in Asia, which is particularly vulnerable to energy market turmoil as it imports the bulk of its power needs.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

Compounding the downbeat mood was news Friday that the US economy unexpectedly lost jobs in February, while unemployment edged up.

From Barron's • Mar. 9, 2026

The Kyrie opens with a strong D-major chord in the large orchestra that seems an obvious downbeat but turns out to be an upbeat.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026

Shares of Walmart rallied Thursday after the company indicated that the downbeat profit outlook it had provided was basically a way for the retail behemoth to underpromise so it could overdeliver.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 19, 2026

On the beat or on the downbeat refer to the moment when the pulse is strongest.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones