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Showing results for upstream. Search instead for up stream.
Definitions

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.

The full Fish Moon refers to when shad fish came upstream to spawn and Breaking Ice Moon highlights the arrival of warmer weather.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

In 2019 the World Bank halted funding for upstream oil and natural-gas projects.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

It’s “an old-fashioned land grab,” Bob Fryklund, S&P Global’s chief upstream energy strategist, said of the industry’s rush to acquire new acreage.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

The question is whether that caution is traveling far enough upstream, before patients are symptomatic.

From Slate • Mar. 22, 2026

They began paddling the small canoe upstream, but before they had gotten very far, a shifting whirlpool spun the canoe around, pushing them toward the rapids and right in the path of a waterfall!

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.