sobering

[soh-ber-ing]

adjective

1. serious, grave, or solemn.

   One of the most sobering visits was to the cemetery at Omaha Beach where 18,000 American servicemen lie buried.

   The agency has issued a sobering warning about the health of the world's oceans.

Other Word Forms

• soberingly adverb
• nonsobering adjective
• unsobering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sobering¹

sober ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

But “Venetian Vespers” is more entertaining than sobering; a stylish escapade that even Henry James might relish.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She gave me sobering news of her own: Rudy had gone into the backyard to die.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The attack was a sobering reminder to Arab countries of the risk of regional escalation, focusing their minds on peace.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

What is even more sobering is that these large, flowing bodies of ice can take decades to fully adjust to the rapidly warming climate.

Read more on BBC

Either way, it’s a sobering way to introduce an ending as compassionately doom-laden as any Pynchon has ever given us.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• dangerous 
• deep 
• difficult 
• far-reaching 
• grievous 
• important 
• major 
• meaningful 
• severe 
• significant 
• tough 
• urgent