sober

[ soh-ber ]

See synonyms for: sober sobered sobering sobers on Thesaurus.com

adjective,so·ber·er, so·ber·est.

not intoxicated or drunk.
habitually temperate, especially in the use of liquor.

quiet or sedate in demeanor, as persons.
marked by seriousness, gravity, solemnity, etc., as of demeanor, speech, etc.: a sober occasion.
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.

verb (used with or without object)

to make or become sober: (often followed by up).

Origin of sober

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English sobre, from Old French, from Latin sōbrius

synonym study For sober

4. See grave².

word story For sober

English sober comes from Middle English sobre, sober(e), sobor, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius “sober (not intoxicated), in possession of one’s faculties, staid and sensible in behavior.” Sōbrius appears to be a compound of the preposition and prefix sē, sē- “apart, aside, by oneself” and the adjective ēbrius “drunk, intoxicated” (the derivative adjective ēbriōsus means “addicted to alcohol, alcoholic”). The adjective sōbrius therefore means “not drunk,” which is an odd way of looking at things, as if sobriety were the unusual condition and drunkenness the normal.
Ēbrius ultimately derives from the Proto-Indo-European root egwh- “to drink” (the consonant gwh regularly becomes b in Latin and ph in Greek). The Latin suffix -ri- added to egwh- yields the stem for the adjective ēbrius. In Greek, the root egwh- is prefixed by the negative particle ne-, becoming first nēgwh and then nēph-, the stem of the Greek verb nḗphein “to be sober.”

Other words for sober

2	abstinent, abstemious
4	serious, quiet, sedate, subdued, staid
5	somber, dull
7	composed, collected
8	reasonable, sound

See synonyms for sober on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for sober

gay

See antonyms for sober on Thesaurus.com

Other words from sober

so·ber·ly, adverb
so·ber·ness, noun
non·so·ber, adjective
non·so·ber·ly, adverb
non·so·ber·ness, noun
qua·si-so·ber, adjective
qua·si-so·ber·ly, adverb
un·so·ber, adjective
un·so·ber·ly, adverb
un·so·ber·ness, noun
un·so·bered, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use sober in a sentence

Culturally, the dichotomy between sober truth and sensational fiction becomes hard to find, particularly in an era of rampant access to unverified information without context or depth of knowledge.
What the QAnon of the 6th Century Teaches Us About Conspiracies | Roland Betancourt | February 3, 2021 | Time
He got sober, fell in love with his agent’s assistant, left his wife and moved into an expensive New York apartment.
‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is a bestseller, but its author, Walter Tevis, was hardly a one-hit wonder | Michael Dirda | February 3, 2021 | Washington Post
The category is also about inclusivity—creating a space that welcomes your sober parents, your pregnant best friend, or your buddy who’s not sure if he can drink on antibiotics.
Keep dry January going all year with these cutting-edge non-alcoholic cocktails | By Dan Q. Dao/Saveur | February 2, 2021 | Popular-Science
It’s also obvious that the sober financial advice most outlets periodically offer — invest in diversified index funds and then move on with your life — won’t generate the kind of audience that “Top 10 Next GameStops” will generate.
What happens after the GameStop bubble bursts? | Peter Kafka | February 2, 2021 | Vox
Over many decades in Washington, he has developed a reputation as a sober and serious policy wonk.
Rob Portman has done more damage to America than Marjorie Taylor Greene | Max Boot | February 1, 2021 | Washington Post

This, looked soberly in the face,” Lincoln understated at the time, “is not very satisfactory.
A Mighty Act: The 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation | Harold Holzer | January 1, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
So Israelis are approaching this soberly—but most laugh off reports of celebrations from Gaza.
As We Leave Our Metaphoric Bunkers | Gil Troy | November 23, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
They speak slowly and soberly, the pain evident in their voices, their faces etched with despair.
Sob-Story Campaign Between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama Turns on Personal Pain | Howard Kurtz | May 25, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
My informant is a veteran Republican from the West; he spoke soberly of the GOP frontrunner.
House Republicans Hold Their Noses About Mitt Romney | John Batchelor | November 22, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
Brooks arrived for her questioning dressed soberly in navy with a demure little heart-shaped charm dangling from a necklace.
Rebekah Brooks’ Distracting ’Do | Robin Givhan | July 20, 2011 | THE DAILY BEAST
The old ladies sat round as we examined these things, each eating soberly at her ledge and never looking round.
Little Travels and Roadside Sketches | William Makepeace Thackeray
He looked about, half expecting to see a priest; his eye lit on a cavalier, soberly dressed, with his hood pulled over his head.
God Wills It! | William Stearns Davis
Gilding, soberly applied, shone here and there like eyes, brightening the brown color which prevailed in this nest of love.
Catherine de' Medici | Honore de Balzac
She took her own path soberly home again, not across the marsh this time, but half the way by the high-road.
Country Neighbors | Alice Brown
They stamped and raked quite soberly for a moment, and then Isabel began to laugh again.
Country Neighbors | Alice Brown

British Dictionary definitions for sober

sober

/ (ˈsəʊbə) /

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

(usually foll by up) to make or become less intoxicated, reckless, etc

Origin of sober

C14 sobre, from Old French, from Latin sōbrius

Derived forms of sober

sobering, adjective
soberingly, adverb
soberly, adverb
soberness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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