upright
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.standing straight up rather than lying down or sitting.
adj.positioned vertically or in an erect posture.
Simple“The cat sat in an upright position, watching the bird through the window.”
In context“The physical therapist instructed the patient to maintain an upright posture to alleviate the chronic pressure on his lower vertebrae.”
Antonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
adj.honest, fair, and having good values.
adj.possessing or exhibiting high moral standards and integrity.
Simple“Everyone respected him because he was an upright and hard-working member of the community.”
In context“The judge was known as an upright citizen whose commitment to the letter of the law was beyond reproach.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adv.in a vertical position.
adv.in or into a vertical or erect position.
Simple“Please place the box upright so the liquid inside doesn't leak out.”
In context“After the earthquake, only a few stone pillars remained standing upright among the ruins of the ancient temple.”
SynonymsverticallyerectlyAntonyms - 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a strong post or bar that stands straight up to support something.
n.a vertical structural member, such as a post in a goalframe or a support in a building.
Simple“The ball hit the upright of the goal and bounced back into the field.”
In context“The carpenters installed the steel uprights first to ensure the entire wooden frame would be structurally sound.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a piano where the strings are vertical, making it take up less space than a grand piano.
n.a piano with a vertical housing for the strings and soundboard.
Simple“They didn't have room for a grand piano, so they bought an old upright instead.”
In context“The studio was equipped with a well-maintained upright that had a surprisingly bright and percussive tone for its size.”
Synonymsupright pianoAntonymsgrand piano - 06 C2 Proficiency
v.to put something back into a vertical position after it has fallen over.
v.to restore something to a vertical or proper orientation.
Simple“It took three people to upright the heavy statue after it fell during the storm.”
In context“The recovery crew worked for hours to upright the overturned lorry and clear the motorway for traffic.”
From Middle English upright, uppryght, upriht, from Old English upriht (“upright; erect”), from Proto-Germanic *upprehtaz, equivalent to up- + right. Cognate with Saterland Frisian apgjucht (“upright”), West Frisian oprjocht (“upright”), Dutch oprecht (“upright”), German Low German uprecht (“upright”), German aufrecht (“upright”), Swedish upprätt (“upright”), Icelandic uppréttur (“upright”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.