adjective

• 1Honest; respectable.

  ‘an upstanding member of the community’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Mr Watts-Jones told the court his client had outgrown the misbehaviour of his youth and become an upstanding member of the community, with a respectable job, a wife and two teenage children.’
  • ‘He clearly was neither a law-abiding person nor an upstanding member of the local community.’
  • ‘But I think it came at a moment when Americans were particularly hungry for someone they could perceive as honest, upstanding, and a hero.’
  • ‘People - apparently respectable, upstanding people - actually justifying these unspeakable crimes.’
  • ‘But neither of the victims, he concedes, were the most honest and upstanding of people.’
  • ‘These people are modest, upstanding, hard-working honest people and a lot of us could learn a lesson or two from them in how to treat both man and animals.’
  • ‘Now that I found out he was an upstanding and respected police officer, I felt so helplessly worthless.’
  • ‘For more than four decades the father-of-two lived as a devoted family man, successful businessman and upstanding member of the community in rural Buchlyvie, Stirlingshire.’
  • ‘We have upstanding members of our society, citizens who are willing to toe the line and know what the law is.’
  • ‘They are potentially fine upstanding members of the community.’
  • ‘It's nice to know what a fine upstanding member of society he finds me.’
  • ‘Luckily, he succeeded, and is now an upstanding member of society.’
  • ‘The fine upstanding members of the city council were only doing their job, and it's the job that we elected them to do.’
  • ‘A human rights solicitor said that burglars had the same human rights as upstanding members of the community.’
  • ‘You are upstanding members of the community who feel passionately about something.’
  • ‘She had changed the story about my father into one in which he seemed more like a hero or an upstanding member of society struggling against an addiction and winning.’
  • ‘He was a man of good character, a religious man and an upstanding member of the public.’
  • ‘You used to be such an upstanding member of your community.’
  • ‘An upstanding member of the community who has been deeply involved in prison matters for many years called me in distress just a month or so ago.’
  • ‘But he consistently strove to be an upstanding member of society, to raise a healthy family, and to make a meaningful contribution to the world.’

  Synonyms

  honest, honourable, upright, respectable, reputable, high-minded, law-abiding, right-minded, worthy, moral, ethical, righteous, decent, good, virtuous, principled, high-principled, of principle, proper, correct, just, noble, incorruptible, anti-corruption, conscientious

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• 2Standing up; erect.

  More example sentences

  • ‘upstanding feathered plumes’

  Synonyms

  upright, erect, vertical, plumb, upended, on end, rearing, straight, straight up and down, perpendicular

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  1. 2.1(of an animal) strong and healthy.
     ‘upstanding, powerful sheep’
     More example sentences

     • ‘My mare had fulfilled all our expectations and presented us with a healthy, upstanding young colt; who would go on to win many a class alongside his mum.’
     • ‘There were no collies in those days and many of the best sheep dogs were big upstanding and both smooth and rough coated.’