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.

Stratford’s assessment of where U.S.-China relations stand today is sobering.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

At best, investors’ views on Germany and the rest of Europe is sobering up after the euphoria of last spring.

From Barron's • Dec. 5, 2025

Just one week has passed since wildfires began ravaging Southern California, but in seven days time, the destruction caused to hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles residents is sobering and incalculable.

From Salon • Jan. 14, 2025

The thought of a winter in Belfast is sobering to even the most upbeat of the Odyssey’s passengers.

From BBC • Sep. 27, 2024

It is sobering to regard the more standard economic outcome.

From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Colignatus, Thomas