sobering
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sobering
Explanation
Something that's sobering is serious, and even a little bit worrying. It's sobering to learn that someone you love is very ill. You can use the adjective sobering when you talk about news that feels heavy and important. Environmental studies about climate change are sobering, and statistics about the number of stray dogs and cats in the country are sobering too. Things that are sobering make you feel sober, or serious and solemn. The Latin root, sobrius, means "not intoxicated," which is also the original definition of sober.
Vocabulary lists containing sobering
Song of Solomon
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You Call This Democracy?
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I Must Betray You
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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.
In a statement issued to BBC Sport, Andrew Giuliani, executive director for the White House World Cup task force said events in Washington DC were a "sobering reminder of the unpredictable threats facing our nation".
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
"The implications are really sobering as this new finding essentially places these animals in 'double jeopardy," said Dr. Payne.
From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026
To underscore the point, Schiff cited some sobering data: Last year, 45% of all U.S. films and scripted television shows were shot internationally, up from about 33% in 2022.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2026
The performances in “The Audacity” are uniformly remarkable, with Mr. Galifianakis executing one of those sobering transformations that suggest Albert Brooks in “Drive,” or Robin Williams in “Insomnia” or even Jackie Gleason in “The Hustler.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026
The thief looked at the child and what he saw was very sobering to him.
From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy
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.
