somber

especially British, som·bre

[som-ber]

adjective

1. gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted.

   a somber passageway.

   Synonyms: sunless, murky, dusky
   Antonyms: bright

2. dark and dull, as color, or as things in respect to color.

   a somber dress.

3. gloomy, depressing, or dismal.

   a somber mood.

   Synonyms: melancholy, doleful, mournful, lugubrious
   Antonyms: cheerful

4. extremely serious; grave.

   a somber expression on his face.

Other Word Forms

• somberly adverb
• somberness noun
• unsomber adjective
• unsomberly adverb
• unsomberness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of somber¹

First recorded in 1750–60; from French, Middle French sombre, probably noun derivative of sombrer (unrecorded) “to make shady,” from Vulgar Latin subumbrāre (unrecorded), from Latin sub- sub- + umbrāre “to cast a shadow” (derivative of umbra “shade, shadow”)

Example Sentences

She’s known for somber songs, yet this one was almost peppy, with plush synthesizers and promises of eternal devotion.

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Jonathan Kaneh, 46, who owned a polymer factory in the kibbutz of Orim, saw in the release a more somber moment.

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Sitting in the trailer, Bouthaina spoke, her voice small and somber.

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“ICE is gonna come bust down your door,” he sings, accompanied only by a somber electric guitar.

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Though the mood was somber, it nevertheless felt more hopeful than most other protests Coheb-Taguri had attended in the last two years.

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Related Words

• bleak 
• dark 
• dull 
• earnest 
• funereal 
• gloomy 
• grim 
• melancholy 
• mournful 
• sedate 
• serious 
• sober 
• solemn 
• weighty