- a variation of somber.
sombre
Britishadjective
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dismal; melancholy
a sombre mood
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dim, gloomy, or shadowy
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(of colour, clothes, etc) sober, dull, or dark
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sombre
C18: from French, from Vulgar Latin subumbrāre (unattested) to shade, from Latin sub beneath + umbra shade
Explanation
When you're sombre — or somber — you're acting glum, depressed, or sad. Being sombre is the opposite of being perky or happy. This is a word that has to do with the mood of a person or event. A funeral is going to be sombre, and the people at the funeral are usually pretty sombre, too. It's a quiet, serious, and even gloomy kind of feeling. Objects can look sombre if they're dull and colorless. Just don't get sombre and confused by the spelling: the "re" ending is a British thing, while Americans usually end it with "er."
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.
Two days before the second Test at The Oval, McCullum gave a sombre media conference, when he repeatedly spoke of his "worry" and "concern" for Stokes.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
She called him "the undertaker" because of his liking for dark, sombre suits.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
Twelve months ago the mood around Ulster was much more sombre than it has been in recent months.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Easter celebrations are shaping up to be sombre for Christians in the Middle East.
From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026
For all their beauty there was something sombre about them, funereal; they were like the wreaths, stiff and artificial, that you see beneath glass cases in a foreign churchyard.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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.
