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)
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:
Safford James Wolfson, 36, ran a sober living and adult care facility in Rancho Palos Verdes with his 61-year-old mother, Angela Caprioli, per Linkedin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Shortly after Max’s trial ended, Anna and Tom got married, Anna got sober, and both buried a few secrets.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
"In a sober mind, it's not easy," he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
“Back then, a sober numbers guy was the right choice,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
She was exceedingly fond of Telemachus, not only because he was her dear Odysseus’ son, but because he was a sober, discreet young man, steady and prudent and dependable.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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
It is the soberer, less dramatic business of administering resources and plants already in hand.
From Time Magazine Archive
A soberer cortege, probably, followed Theodore to his final resting-place.
From From the Oak to the Olive A Plain record of a Pleasant Journey by Howe, Julia Ward
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 Brooklyn chorus-girl sobers up the son and advises the daughter of a rich family.
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
In the book, Peoria leaves his job, sobers up, becomes a journalism professor at a small college, and falls in love.
From Slate ● Jun. 10, 2014
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring; There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, and drinking largely sobers us again.’
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
“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
That sobered him, and he continued to regard the scene without the hint of a smile.
From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers
His discussion of dying in an unprotected Air Force One and taking reporters with him, and his constant acknowledgement of threats against his life, are sobering and concerning.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
But the outside help also highlighted a sobering reality: The government’s inability to deal with the tragedy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
Temperatures could soar to 40C, unprecedented for the time of the year -- a "sobering" prospect, according to Met Office chief scientist Stephen Belcher.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
In the 250th year of the Declaration of Independence, this is a sobering state of affairs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
“A sobering reminder that none of us are immune to the dangers here, even when we imagine we have the upper hand. Let’s save the details for another time.”
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
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.
