- a variation of somber.
sombre
Britishadjective
-
dismal; melancholy
a sombre mood
-
dim, gloomy, or shadowy
-
(of colour, clothes, etc) sober, dull, or dark
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sombre
C18: from French, from Vulgar Latin subumbrāre (unattested) to shade, from Latin sub beneath + umbra shade
Explanation
When you're sombre — or somber — you're acting glum, depressed, or sad. Being sombre is the opposite of being perky or happy. This is a word that has to do with the mood of a person or event. A funeral is going to be sombre, and the people at the funeral are usually pretty sombre, too. It's a quiet, serious, and even gloomy kind of feeling. Objects can look sombre if they're dull and colorless. Just don't get sombre and confused by the spelling: the "re" ending is a British thing, while Americans usually end it with "er."
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.
It's a sombre gathering in the backstreets of one of China's biggest manufacturing hubs, where workers are smoking under a tree in front of storefronts advertising temporary factory jobs.
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2026
Easter celebrations are shaping up to be sombre for Christians in the Middle East.
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026
He was known for his powerful voice, moving easily between romantic ballads and more sombre songs.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
"When I came last time and went back to the hotel for breakfast it was so sombre and quiet," she said.
From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2026
Beyond it were slopes covered with sombre trees like dark clouds, but all about them lay a tumbled heathland, grown with ling and broom and cornel, and other shrubs that they did not know.
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
