upstream

[uhp-streem] / ˈʌpˈstrim /

ADJECTIVE

difficult

Synonyms

STRONGEST

ambitious arduous burdensome challenging crucial demanding laborious onerous painful problematic severe strenuous tough troublesome

WEAK

backbreaker bothersome difficile easier said than done effortful exacting formidable galling gargantuan hard-won heavy herculean immense intricate irritating labored no picnic not easy operose problem prohibitive rigid stiff titanic toilsome trying unyielding uphill wearisome

Antonyms

STRONGEST

easy effortless facile helpful nice trivial

WEAK

calm free friendly manageable plain simple sociable straightforward uncomplicated

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.

BP named Gordon Birrell head of upstream and Richard Harding interim head of downstream as it restructures.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

Oil prices that have risen $30 per barrel from prewar levels strengthened cash flow for upstream producers, including Diamondback Energy, even though shale companies resisted immediately increasing production.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

But it has been the destruction of forests and mining further upstream which may have flushed the nutrients, like nitrogen, from soils into waterways, benefitting the mangroves down the river.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

Within industries, as a supply-chain crisis unfolds, fear and self-protection instincts kick in, with hoarding and company-level stockpiling resulting in confusing demand signals that make it hard for upstream producers to respond.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

Did it think she was merely a log floating upstream?

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

upstream

Example Sentences

Related Words