Synonyms

sombre

British

/ ˈsɒmbrəs, ˈsɒmbə /

adjective

dismal; melancholy

a sombre mood
dim, gloomy, or shadowy
(of colour, clothes, etc) sober, dull, or dark

"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

Other Word Forms

sombrely adverb
sombreness noun
sombrous adjective

Etymology

Origin of sombre

C18: from French, from Vulgar Latin subumbrāre (unattested) to shade, from Latin sub beneath + umbra shade

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.

There was a sombre atmosphere on the court, with the crowd applauding sympathetically as Jones limped off with a towel covering her head.

From BBC

Laschet added, in a sombre opening speech: "If Europe is not competitive economically it will not, in the long-term, have the financial basis, the technological basis, the industrial basis to guarantee its security."

From Barron's

"It will be a very sombre celebration… deeply sad and sorrowful but it will also acknowledge their heritage and their culture."

From BBC

Other Yemeni officials shown in the footage appeared sombre.

From Barron's

It has culminated in this – a sombre send-off in Sydney.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023