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Glite Dictionary
🚗 Toward south 🧭 Southern part 🏞️ Southern region
downstate

downstate

3 3.9
In the southern part of a state that is not the city
  • adjective
  • /ˈdaʊnˌsteɪt/
  • US
: del sur del estado (EE. UU.)
  • He wore a dark pinstripe suit and, to Vann, looked more like a downstate lawyer than a physician.

Examples

  • Many families choose to vacation in the downstate region for its beautiful scenery and relaxed atmosphere.

  • Quinn says one of the biggest hang-ups has been Republican opposition to shifting pension costs from the state to suburban and downstate schools for their own employees, which opponents say could lead to property tax hikes.

    Blog text (15)

  • Everyone said Irene was going to be a downstate event focused on the coastline.

    Blog text (13)

  • He was a downstate lawyer who had for a while represented the Illinois Central.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • I live in New York, and as you probably know, NY is dominated by downstate liberalism.

    Blog text (16)

  • He came straight to Chicago and began a career as a downstate peddler, bringing horse-drawn wagonloads of household items on trips south from Chicago.

    Academic text (1990)

  • The conference will focus on issues affecting downstate communities in New York and their development needs.

  • Local news often highlights the differences in policy priority between downstate and upstate areas.

Synonyms

outstate
vsdownstate
  • US
1 6.7

Outside the main city of a state, in smaller towns or rural areas

specifies the southern or less urban parts of a state

Antonyms

upstate
  • US
138 3.4

In the northern or inland part of a state away from the city

Surface Forms

downstate positive

Morphology

downstate = state (transparent) = down + state

Meaning is a straightforward combination of 'down' (directional/southward) + 'state' (political region), which learners can readily infer. [Postprocessing: moved 'down' from base_words to prefix]

Etymology

Downstate comes from the two words down ('toward the south' or 'lower') and state ('a region'), so a downstate place is in the southern or less urban part of a state.