upright

adjective

ˈəp-ˌrīt How to pronounce upright (audio)
Definition of uprightnext
1
as in honorable
conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue an honest and upright people

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in honest
following the accepted rules of moral conduct informing the clerk that he had just given me back too much in change was the only upright thing to do

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in vertical
rising straight up only one pillar of the ruined temple remained upright

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective upright differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of upright are conscientious, honest, honorable, just, and scrupulous. While all these words mean "having or showing a strict regard for what is morally right," upright implies a strict adherence to moral principles.

a stern and upright minister

How are the words conscientious and scrupulous related as synonyms of upright?

Both conscientious and scrupulous imply an active moral sense governing all one's actions and painstaking efforts to follow one's conscience.

conscientious in the completion of her assignments
scrupulous in carrying out the terms of the will

When might honest be a better fit than upright?

In some situations, the words honest and upright are roughly equivalent. However, honest stresses adherence to such virtues as truthfulness, candor, or fairness.

known for being honest in business dealings

When can honorable be used instead of upright?

The synonyms honorable and upright are sometimes interchangeable, but honorable suggests a firm holding to codes of right behavior and the guidance of a high sense of honor and duty.

a difficult but honorable decision

When is just a more appropriate choice than upright?

While in some cases nearly identical to upright, just stresses conscious choice and regular practice of what is right or equitable.

workers given just compensation

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of upright At the end of the exercise, slowly return to the upright position by activating your abdominal muscles. —Claudia Herwig, Glamour, 20 May 2025 The Cadence capsules are leakproof and TSA-compliant, and an organizer keeps everything upright. —Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 24 May 2025 Lights inside the three-door upright roller were inoperable. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado, Sacbee.com, 23 May 2025 There are cascading or more upright varieties in an array of colors from hot pink to deep purple to white. —Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for upright
Recent Examples of Synonyms for upright
  1. honorable
  2. honest
  3. vertical
  4. ethical
  5. respectable
  6. standing
  7. nice
  8. righteous
Adjective
  • The comparison with Lexus is honorable but not accurate.
    — Josh Max, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • We were honored because our parents were honorable.
    — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 19 May 2025
Definition of honorable
Adjective
  • Because spontaneous conversations are harder in a hybrid environment, actively create spaces for honest discussions.
    — Ayaskant Sarangi, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025
  • So much of it feels like a fever dream, to be honest, being in Singapore.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 30 May 2025
Definition of honest
Adjective
  • Trump also signed orders aimed at clearing the way for a new generation of supersonic jets in the United States, and to encourage the development of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft or eVTOLs, sometimes described as air taxis.
    — Deepa Shivaram, NPR, 6 June 2025
  • The goal is to stay out of the NFC East's cellar, avoid catastrophe, and, hopefully, keep Russell Wilson and crew vertical.
    — Geoffrey Knox, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
Definition of vertical
Adjective
  • The woman's family later filed a lawsuit against Willet and his organization, questioning the circumstances surrounding her death and the legal and ethical oversight — or lack thereof — in her use of the pod, per the outlets.
    — Christina Coulter, People.com, 3 June 2025
  • Skills like empathy, cultural understanding and ethical decision-making can’t be replicated by algorithms.
    — Braden Yuill, Forbes.com, 3 June 2025
Definition of ethical
Adjective
  • Even among more respectable children’s literature from its time, Peter was a thoughtful creation, his architects never hesitating to use his famous credo: With great power comes great responsibility.
    — Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 4 June 2025
  • The Nasdaq Composite had a slightly better session, closing at a respectable 0.32%.
    — Paolo Confino, Fortune, 4 June 2025
Definition of respectable
Adjective
  • To now have the very same industry embrace her, including via a recent standing ovation at the Critics Choice Awards for her work in Matlock, has been a lot to process.
    — Jessica Wang, EW.com, 27 May 2025
  • That’s right, festival season means one thing and one thing only: measuring the standing ovations each film gets and then using that as data point No. 1 in building your MFL team come September.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 15 May 2025
Definition of standing
Adjective
  • Personally choosing to use less water is a nice start, but grander actions will be needed to effectively address the interrelated issues that drive the overuse of water.
    — Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
  • Wilson completed a pass to Dee Eskridge, who made a nice one-handed catch with cornerback Kendall Sheffield in coverage.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 May 2025
Definition of nice
Adjective
  • The speech got worse: The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, of music, of rock ’n’ roll, in dangerous times. . . .
    — Armond White, National Review, 28 May 2025
  • Down encourages readers to use their righteous anger toward rebuilding a fractured world.
    — Shannon Carlin, Time, 22 May 2025
Definition of righteous

Browse Nearby Words

uprears
upright
uprightness
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Upright.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/upright. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on upright

Nglish: Translation of upright for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

'Bring' vs. 'Take'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language

10 Hella Good U.S. Regionalisms

Some Data About 'Datum'

The Clinical History of 'Moron,' 'Idiot,' and 'Imbecile'
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

How 'Namaste' Entered The English Language
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All