Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Being in a vertical position or direction: synonym: vertical.
  • adjective Erect in posture or carriage.
  • adjective Adhering strictly to moral principles; righteous.
  • adjective Designed with the pedals below the seat to allow an erect posture rather than a reclining one.
  • adverb Vertically.
  • noun A perpendicular position; verticality.
  • noun Something, such as a goalpost, that stands upright.
  • noun An upright piano.
  • noun An upright bicycle.
  • transitive verb To restore to an upright position.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Vertically.
  • Flat on the back; horizontally and with the face upward.
  • noun In golf, the lie of a club. See lie.
  • Erect; vertical.
  • Erect on one's feet; hence, erect as a human being; in general, having the longest axis vertical: as, an upright boiler.
  • Erected; pricked up; standing out straight from the body.
  • Adhering to rectitude; not deviating from correct moral principles; of inflexible honesty.
  • In accord with what is right; honest; just.
  • Well adjusted or disposed; in good condition; right.
  • 4 and Just, Rightful, etc. (see righteous), honorable, conscientious, straightforward, true.
  • noun Something standing erect or vertical.
  • noun In architecture, the elevation or orthography of a building. Gwilt. A molding-machine of which the mandrel is perpendicular.
  • noun An upright pianoforte.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective In an erect position or posture; perpendicular; vertical, or nearly vertical; pointing upward.
  • adjective Morally erect; having rectitude; honest; just.
  • adjective Conformable to moral rectitude.
  • adjective obsolete Stretched out face upward; flat on the back.
  • adjective (Golf) Designating a club in which the head is approximately at a right angle with the shaft.
  • adjective (Mach.) a drilling machine having the spindle vertical.
  • noun Something standing upright, as a piece of timber in a building. See Illust. of frame.
  • noun (Basketwork) A tool made from a flat strip of steel with chisel edges at both ends, bent into horseshoe, the opening between the cutting edges being adjustable, used for reducing splits to skeins. Called in full upright shave.
  • noun (Football) the vertical part of a goalpost, especially the part above the horizontal bar.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Vertical; erect.
  • adjective Greater in height than breadth.
  • adjective figuratively Of good morals; practicing ethical values.
  • adverb in or into an upright position
  • noun Any vertical part of a structure, especially one of the goal posts in sports.
  • noun A word clued by the successive initial, middle, or final letters of the cross-lights in a double acrostic or triple acrostic.
  • noun informal An upright piano.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective in a vertical position; not sloping
  • adjective upright in position or posture
  • noun a piano with a vertical sounding board
  • adjective of moral excellence
  • noun a vertical structural member as a post or stake

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Old English upriht, from up + riht ("right")

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Examples

  • Mr. Woods was raised by his mother in what he calls an "upright Southern Baptist" environment in Manchester, Ga.

    One Home, Three Locations Nancy Keates 2011

  • He has assured us that the prayer of the upright is his delight; he smelled a sweet savour from Noah's sacrifice, and the spiritual sacrifices are no less acceptable, 1 Pet. ii.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon) 1721

  • The prayer of the upright is as much his delight as ever it was, and the promises which are pleaded and put in suit in prayer are still yea and amen, inviolably sure.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume IV (Isaiah to Malachi) 1721

  • God; the prayer of the upright is his delight, and therefore, we may hope, shall avail much, if it be an effectual fervent prayer.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume V (Matthew to John) 1721

  • In this unparalleled instance of divine grace, the upright is a ransom for the transgressors, the just for the unjust.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume V (Matthew to John) 1721

  • Therefore the prayer of the upright is his delight, because he is a friend of God, and he loves him who, though he have not yet attained, is following after righteousness, aiming at it and pressing towards it, as St. Paul, Phil. iii.

    Commentary on the Whole Bible Volume III (Job to Song of Solomon) 1721

  • The stupid lowly, and the humble lowly, only, went down on its knees at the penitent form, admitted its pathological weight and hurt of sin, eliminated and purged all its bafflements, and walked forth again upright under the sun, child-like and pure, upborne by Abel Ah Yo's god's arm around it.

    WHEN ALICE TOLD HER SOUL 2010

  • So it might seem that I have better things to do than attempt to remain upright on a rocking boat about 90 miles from Cuba, some of the greatest gamefish in the world swimming in waters around me, preoccupied with a tiny fish wriggling in my hand.

    The Mid-Life Slam 2009

  • So it might seem that I have better things to do than attempt to remain upright on a rocking boat about 90 miles from Cuba, some of the greatest gamefish in the world swimming in waters around me, preoccupied with a tiny fish wriggling in my hand.

    The Mid-Life Slam 2009

  • Today is osteoporosis-pill-day and I spent my half-hour (no food, no drink, remain upright) writing to them.

    Jean's Knitting Jean 2009

Comments

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  • In heraldry, erect: applied often to crustaceans instead of haurient, and to reptiles rather than rampant.

    October 4, 2011

  • I always say haurient crustacean.

    Doctor Zoidberg is my favourite haurient crustacean.

    October 4, 2011

  • Need a new comment? Why not Zoidberg?

    (V) ;,,; (V)

    October 5, 2011