were sobering
- past progressive of sober.
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.
Environment Minister Murray Watt said the seal deaths were "sobering" and showed Australia must not be complacent in preparing for the strain possibly making it to the mainland.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
The defense secretary’s remarks were sobering, although there were lighter moments in his speech Saturday inside the Reagan Presidential Library’s vast Air Force One Pavilion.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 2, 2023
The results were sobering: US soldiers suffered headaches, eyestrain and nausea, according to a summary of the exercise compiled by the Pentagon’s testing office.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023
Those were sobering words coming after two years of wrestling with the pandemic, societal upheaval and rampant inflation.
From Reuters ● Mar. 2, 2022
The way had been made plain, the ground had been cleared, the wild oats of adventure and knight-errantry had been sown, and the peoples were sobering down to steadier and more prudent enterprise.
From A Historical Geography of the British Colonies Vol. V, Canada—Part I, Historical by Lucas, Charles Prestwood
