upscale

1 of 3

adjective

up·​scale ˈəp-ˈskāl How to pronounce upscale (audio)
: relating to, being, or appealing to affluent consumers
also : of a superior quality

upscale

2 of 3

verb

upscaled; upscaling; upscales

transitive verb

1
: to make (something) more appealing to affluent consumers : to make (something) more upscale
The council is renaming them the Fashion Awards, globalizing them, moving the hoopla around them to the Royal Albert Hall and otherwise upscaling them.Vanessa Friedman
"Everybody's trying to upscale men's colognes because the prestige brands have taken share from the mass brands," says cosmetics industry consultant Allan Mottus.Ronald Alsop
also : to improve the quality of (something)
… even retained a handwriting teacher to upscale her penmanship—no more tiny circles over her i's. Brad Darrach
2
: to increase the size; scope, or scale of (something)
A star is an upscaled nuclear reactor, not a bonfire.Laurence A. Marschall
As a result, an upscaling of the problem of underrepresentation to the national scale mobilizes scalar politics …Emily Skop

upscale

3 of 3

adverb

: to or toward the upper, more expensive end of a range of products or services
He tried to move upscale—toward higher-cost, higher-profit garments, which, in theory, would be less susceptible to price competition.James Lardner
… chef Celestino Drago has taken Sicilian cuisine upscale in his chic Santa Monica restaurant.Thomas Matthews

Examples of upscale in a Sentence

Adjective a new upscale shopping center is under construction on the west end of town
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
Those with deep pockets head to Costa Smeralda — or Emerald Coast — known for its yacht-loving jet set, upscale golf resorts and designer stores. Lucy Handley, CNBC, 1 Nov. 2024 The five-star, upscale resort offers a pristine tropical location, state-of-the-art architecture and award-winning service, creating an enchanting setting where every wedding detail is crafted to perfection. Lopesan Costa Bavaro Contributor, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
The output is 720p, but it’s being upscaled from something lower. Craig Grannell, WIRED, 4 Nov. 2024 Users can upscale images by up to eight times their original resolution and adjust the level of upscaling with a slider, matching the capabilities of tools like Canva’s image upscaler and exceeding Adobe Lightroom’s 4x Super Resolution enhancement. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 1 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for upscale 

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1966, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

1977, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of upscale was in 1963

Dictionary Entries Near upscale

Cite this Entry

“Upscale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/upscale. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

upscale

adjective
up·​scale
ˈəp-ˈskāl
: relating to, being, or appealing to wealthy consumers
upscale shops
: of a superior quality
upscale products

More from Merriam-Webster on upscale

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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