sober
Americanadjective
-
not intoxicated or drunk.
-
habitually temperate, especially in the use of liquor.
- Synonyms:
- abstemious, abstinent
-
quiet or sedate in demeanor, as persons.
-
marked by seriousness, gravity, solemnity, etc., as of demeanor, speech, etc..
a sober occasion.
- Antonyms:
- gay
-
subdued in tone, as color; not colorful or showy, as clothes.
-
free from excess, extravagance, or exaggeration.
sober facts.
-
showing self-control.
sober restraint.
-
sane or rational.
a sober solution to the problem.
- Synonyms:
- sound, reasonable
verb (used with or without object)
-
sobers,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sobered,
past participle, past
-
sobering
present participle
adjective
-
not drunk
-
not given to excessive indulgence in drink or any other activity
-
sedate and rational
a sober attitude to a problem
-
(of colours) plain and dull or subdued
-
free from exaggeration or speculation
he told us the sober truth
verb
Synonym Usage
See grave 2.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
nonsobernessnoun
-
sobernessnoun
-
unsobernessnoun
-
nonsoberadjective
-
quasi-soberadjective
-
soberingadjective
-
unsoberadjective
-
unsoberedadjective
-
nonsoberlyadverb
-
quasi-soberlyadverb
-
soberinglyadverb
-
soberlyadverb
-
unsoberlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sobersimple
-
soberssimple
-
have soberedperfect
-
has soberedperfect
-
am soberingprogressive
-
are soberingprogressive
-
is soberingprogressive
-
have been soberingperfect progressive
-
has been soberingperfect progressive
Past
-
soberedsimple
-
had soberedperfect
-
was soberingprogressive
-
were soberingprogressive
-
had been soberingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sober
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sobre, from Old French, from Latin sōbrius
Explanation
This adjective means the opposite of playful or drunk. When attending a funeral, you are expected to be sober in both senses. The most common meaning of sober is "not drunk" — people who drive need to be sober. Sober sounds a lot like somber, and it often means sad and quiet too, or sometimes too serious. Another meaning is to be logical or realistic about something. Sometimes sober means drab: a grey station wagon is a more sober vehicle than a hot red convertible. All of these meanings are quiet and restrained — unlike a person who has had a lot to drink.
Vocabulary lists containing sober
A Raisin in the Sun
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The Things They Carried
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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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.
See Examples For:
However, as he talked with The Times, now older and sober, he is so much better equipped to handle fame and all its trappings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Warsh said the rise was because "inflation is too high and has been for too long", adding that it was a "sober" and "responsible decision".
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Tulane has bolstered its collegiate recovery program in recent years as more students have opted to remain sober.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
“At these valuations and after a rally that’s been this aggressive, it’s healthy that investors are taking a sober second look” at the prospect for returns from this AI theme, said Reynolds.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
The shared vision expressed in their drawings struck him as being too sober and monumental.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
Harrelson's Monday night appearance as a guest on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," and a good deal soberer may have reminded us of that.
From Salon ● Mar. 1, 2023
Perhaps that strikes us like a quick, hard smack, makes us soberer and more respectful of facts?
From Washington Post ● Mar. 30, 2020
But in “Bare” as in “Wanderlust,” what starts as a renegade feminism gives way to a soberer truth.
From New York Times ● Jun. 3, 2011
And while the story of Violet and Daisy’s journey toward a soberer recognition of their limits is not joyous, the art and craft that have gone into Condon’s production are full of joy.
From Washington Post
This injustice was transient, and soberer views convinced me that every scheme, comprising the whole, must be productive of partial and temporary evil.
From Ormond, Volume III (of 3) or, The Secret Witness by Charles Brockden Brown
Research shows Gen Z is one of the soberest generations ever.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The soberest predictions of automation job loss still rely on a lattice of interlocking predictions that may not come true.
From Slate ● Mar. 31, 2021
But Barlow’s style was hyperbolic at the soberest of times.
From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2018
But Ms. Vincent chooses to perform “His Promised Land,” one of her own, in the soberest of a cappella arrangements, testifying in a properly awe-struck tone.
From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2012
On the big day, a dozen of our tall and not-so-tall young ladies presented themselves in their soberest hats, clutching letters of reference in their cleanest white gloves.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
So you can understand the muted celebration in Julia Wolfe’s “Her Story,” an oratorio-like work that originated as a commemoration of the 19th Amendment yet sobers as much as it rouses.
From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2022
A circa-1900 vaudevillian sobers up to wrest his wife and son from a sleazy manager handling their act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2019
“That sobers you up, to realize you’re at the point where they’re honoring your body of work,” said Lucas, 71, who received the 2012 National Medal of Arts from President Obama.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 15, 2015
"It sobers you," Carter said of his injury.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 8, 2012
His face sobers, grows older in the glow of the red tail-lights.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
“The realities of contemporary pricing sobered us up very quickly. We abandoned the idea.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“Participants were almost uniformly sobered by the paucity of effective constraints on abuse of power.”
From Salon ● Nov. 18, 2024
But Osadchyi and other Ukrainian researchers have been sobered by what they’ve found so far.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 3, 2024
By next sunrise, the newly engaged lovers have sobered up, and the question of what everyone will think reasserts itself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2023
Loki sobered up the next morning and thought about what he had done the night before.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
Both my research and our recent times point to a deeper, sobering lesson.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
Perhaps the most sobering statistic in this documentary is that there are eight million adults in the UK who struggle with even basic levels of literacy.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh shared several sobering injury updates Monday in the wake of Sunday’s loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
"The thought that all of these beautiful creatures and habitats could be compromised as superpowers slug it out for supremacy is sobering."
From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026
It was a sobering thought, but it was what I’d been given.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
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