sober

[ soh-ber ]

adjective

, so·ber·er, so·ber·est.

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

   Synonyms: abstinent, abstemious

3. quiet or sedate in demeanor, as persons.
4. marked by seriousness, gravity, solemnity, etc., as of demeanor, speech, etc.:

   a sober occasion.

   Synonyms: staid, subdued, sedate, quiet, serious

   Antonyms: gay

5. subdued in tone, as color; not colorful or showy, as clothes.

   Synonyms: dull, somber

6. free from excess, extravagance, or exaggeration:

   sober facts.

7. showing self-control:

   sober restraint.

   Synonyms: collected, composed

8. sane or rational:

   a sober solution to the problem.

   Synonyms: sound, reasonable

verb (used with or without object)

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

sober

/ ˈsəʊbə /

adjective

1. not drunk
2. not given to excessive indulgence in drink or any other activity
3. sedate and rational

   a sober attitude to a problem

4. (of colours) plain and dull or subdued
5. free from exaggeration or speculation

   he told us the sober truth

verb

1. usually foll by up to make or become less intoxicated, reckless, etc

Derived Forms

• ˈsobering, adjective
• ˈsoberness, noun
• ˈsoberingly, adverb
• ˈsoberly, adverb

Other Words From

• 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sober¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sober¹

C14 sobre, from Old French, from Latin sōbrius

Synonym Study

See grave ².

Example Sentences

To be honest, initially, I still wanted to be very sensitive to the fact that this is someone who, she’s been sober for a certain amount of years, but it’s still relatively fresh going.

From Los Angeles Times

Denzel Washington is almost a decade sober and he's ready to open up about his experiences with addiction.

From Salon

“I am 13 years sober now,” Johnson said on his website upon the release of “Sober” in early September.

From Los Angeles Times

Then came more questions and more doubts after a sobering Nations League defeat in Ireland came in the wake of failing to reach the 2022 World Cup.

From BBC

Parlatore told CBS there was eyewitness testimony and video surveillance that the woman was sober and grabbed him by the arm to lead him upstairs.

From BBC

Related Words

• dark
• disciplined
• dispassionate
• down-to-earth
• earnest
• levelheaded
• low-key
• lucid
• no-nonsense
• practical
• quiet
• rational
• realistic
• reasonable
• restrained
• sedate
• serene
• serious
• solemn
• somber