How to Use upstanding in a Sentence

upstanding

adjective
  • Kevin is one of the most upstanding public servants and nicest all-around people.
    — Eric Lipton, Kenneth P. Vogel and Lisa Friedman, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2018
  • The episode underscores how moral and upstanding Aram is as an agent and a person.
    — Laura Sirikul, EW.com, 23 Apr. 2022
  • Alvarez and Golovkin were seen as upstanding men who lived and fought in a clean, no-nonsense manner.
    — Martin Rogers, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2018
  • Slowly but surely, his upstanding image of a begins to crack.
    — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 14 Oct. 2020
  • But Kim had been by the book, a moral and upstanding citizen and a damn fine attorney.
    — Erik Kain, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2022
  • Bill, up until this point, is an upstanding member of society.
    — Gerrad Hall, EW.com, 17 Dec. 2024
  • One of your most upstanding congregants, my dad, recently gave me his opinion on the song and video.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2021
  • So prized were the fruits of his labors that an otherwise upstanding neighbor became a cantaloupe thief.
    — New York Times, 15 Apr. 2020
  • That was part of her story, building herself up to look like an upstanding, giving person.
    — CBS News, 27 Oct. 2020
  • Give a round of hearty applause for AGI doing an upstanding act.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 6 July 2025
  • But, while Norman was turning into an upstanding adult, the same could not be said of his younger brother.
    — Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 1 July 2024
  • But today, wearable tech and nano-cameras are putting even upstanding poker players on their guard.
    — Rob Wile, NBC news, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Lucas is tall, rigidly upstanding and slightly ridiculous among the strong, sturdy men around him.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 24 May 2022
  • Stone is a longtime judge, award-winning journalist and author, and all-around upstanding guy.
    — Susan Callaway, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2019
  • Such a set-up could strain the neutrality of even the most upstanding arbitrator.
    — The Economist, 25 Jan. 2018
  • The case shook the family, who had thought of Rutherford as an upstanding husband and father.
    — Doc Louallen, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
  • Horn is very well-respected and seen as one of the most honest and upstanding executives in the business.
    — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 28 July 2022
  • Labude’s father, a wealthy lawyer who is freely cheating on his wife, provides a model for the upstanding hypocrite, abandoning the old pre-war ways.
    — Kyle Smith, National Review, 9 Mar. 2022
  • Celebrities, therefore, should be upstanding role models and paragons of virtue who contribute to China’s rise in the world.
    — Patrick Frater, Variety, 23 Sep. 2021
  • Pyre asks, to protect the church’s reputation, what with Ron being an upstanding church member.
    — Scott D. Pierce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 May 2022
  • The granddaughter of a bootlegger grows up to be an upstanding citizen and a minister’s wife.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2025
  • To an upstanding person such as your friend (or, for that matter, Miss Manners), that would make no difference.
    — Washington Post, 28 June 2021
  • Landon asks Jamie out via her dad like a good, upstanding young man of faith, and actually secures permission.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2021
  • Soon thereafter an upstanding citizen drove one of the black teenagers into the woods, placed a noose around the child’s neck and demanded a confession.
    — Carol Anderson, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2016
  • Then, a few months after the verdict, one of Webster’s upstanding neighbors, Philip Smith, fell ill.
    — Bridget Marshall, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2019
  • However, Carter was an upstanding player and citizen with the Kings.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2021
  • Roy might have had the same upstanding standards as his counterpart on the silver screen, but his life was not spared the hardship and heartache of a Hollywood story.
    — Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 19 June 2022
  • Julia is married to an older, upstanding, deeply Catholic and closeted man named Michael, who is bedridden with rheumatism.
    — Mary Marge Locker, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2025
  • Your kids can be the most responsible upstanding citizens on either side of the Mississippi, but trusts can be a great safeguard.
    — Martin Shenkman, Forbes, 28 May 2021
  • One of their early goals was to build a gym with the idea of transforming the traditional gymnasium into a space for developing upstanding young men.
    — Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'upstanding.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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