sober

[ soh-ber ]

adjective

, so·ber·er, so·ber·est.

1. not intoxicated or drunk.
2. habitually temperate, especially in the use of liquor.

   Synonyms: abstinent, abstemious

3. quiet or sedate in demeanor, as persons.
4. marked by seriousness, gravity, solemnity, etc., as of demeanor, speech, etc.:

   a sober occasion.

   Synonyms: staid, subdued, sedate, quiet, serious

   Antonyms: gay

5. subdued in tone, as color; not colorful or showy, as clothes.

   Synonyms: dull, somber

6. free from excess, extravagance, or exaggeration:

   sober facts.

7. showing self-control:

   sober restraint.

   Synonyms: collected, composed

8. sane or rational:

   a sober solution to the problem.

   Synonyms: sound, reasonable

verb (used with or without object)

1. to make or become sober: (often followed by up ).

sober

/ ˈsəʊbə /

adjective

1. not drunk
2. not given to excessive indulgence in drink or any other activity
3. sedate and rational

   a sober attitude to a problem

4. (of colours) plain and dull or subdued
5. free from exaggeration or speculation

   he told us the sober truth

verb

1. usually foll by up to make or become less intoxicated, reckless, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈsoberness, noun
• ˈsoberly, adverb
• ˈsoberingly, adverb
• ˈsobering, adjective

Other Words From

• so·ber·ly adverb
• so·ber·ness noun
• non·so·ber adjective
• non·so·ber·ly adverb
• non·so·ber·ness noun
• qua·si-so·ber adjective
• qua·si-so·ber·ly adverb
• un·so·ber adjective
• un·so·ber·ly adverb
• un·so·ber·ness noun
• un·so·bered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sober¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sobre, from Old French, from Latin sōbrius

Word History and Origins

Origin of sober¹

C14 sobre, from Old French, from Latin sōbrius

Synonym Study

See grave ².

Example Sentences

I try to stay sober enough to maneuver back to West Hollywood.

From The Daily Beast

He manages to talk one of them into a glass or two, but for the most part he remains sober.

From The Daily Beast

And things seemed fine between the couple, with the crooner appearing sober and healthier-looking, with a new crew cut.

From The Daily Beast

Today, however, the 36-year-old musician is sober—and even showers once in a while.

From The Daily Beast

She's well spoken, educated, and sober—a far cry from the one-time face of the adult world, Jenna Jameson.

From The Daily Beast

This does not seem strange when we know what a sober, serious, dignified man Yung Pak's father was.

From Project Gutenberg

In sober truth it might as well lay one open to the charge of being an ornithologist.

From Project Gutenberg

Darry Drew was one of those quiet, gentlemanly fellows, who seem rather too sober for their years.

From Project Gutenberg

To which Mr. Sikes replied, he was joking;as if he had been sober, there would have been strong reason to suppose he was.

From Project Gutenberg

That counter-blast of passion and that plain speaking from a quarter so unexpected served, in part at least, to sober him.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• dark
• disciplined
• dispassionate
• down-to-earth
• earnest
• levelheaded
• low-key
• lucid
• no-nonsense
• practical
• quiet
• rational
• realistic
• reasonable
• restrained
• sedate
• serene
• serious
• solemn
• somber