"It's painfully upbeat"
Hello
I read a sentence on CNN web about the ride of Disneyland. I am wondering if you could help me on this question. Here is what it says:
"It's painfully upbeat, fabulously kitsch and impossible to forget, but what exactly makes It's a Small World so special?"
It looks like a joyful atmosphere. Why it says "painfully upbeat...."?
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/roller-coaster-pioneers/index.html
Top answer
"upbeat" is normally a positive word, meaning cheerful, lively or optimistic. In this case the author has deliberately modified it with a negative word, "painfully", for effect. The intended meaning is probably that the cheerfulness or liveliness has (in the author's opinion) been overdone and feels "too much".
- "upbeat" is normally a positive word, meaning cheerful, lively or optimistic.
- In this case the author has deliberately modified it with a negative word, "painfully", for effect.
- The intended meaning is probably that the cheerfulness or liveliness has (in the author's opinion) been overdone and feels "too much".
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"upbeat" is normally a positive word, meaning cheerful, lively or optimistic. In this case the author has deliberately modified it with a negative word, "painfully", for effect. The intended meaning is probably that the cheerfulness or liveliness has (in the author's opinion) been overdone and feels "too much".
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