Definitions

somber

[som-ber] / ˈsɒm bər /

ADJECTIVE

sad, depressing

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bleak dark dull earnest funereal gloomy grim melancholy mournful sedate serious sober solemn weighty

WEAK

black blue caliginous cloudy depressive dim dingy dire dismal dispiriting doleful down drab dragged dreary dusky grave hurting joyless lugubrious murky no-nonsense obscure sepulchral shadowy shady sourpuss staid tenebrous

Antonyms

STRONGEST

bright cheerful encouraging excited flippant funny happy hopeful joyful light lively luminous sunny trivial unimportant unserious vivacious

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.

Appeared in the December 18, 2025, print edition as 'A Somber New Home'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

Somber and remorseful, his Beckett in formal attire explains that he has accepted the award so that he can give the money away.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 9, 2024

Somber because the last of the Greatest Generation will soon no longer be with us.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 5, 2024

Somber Easter celebrations were held on Sunday for hundreds of displaced Palestinians at the Holy Family Church in Gaza City.

From New York Times • Mar. 31, 2024

Somber peaks, hacked and shattered, circled half-way around the horizon, wearing a savage aspect in the gloaming, and a waterfall chanted solemnly across the lake on its way down from the foot of a glacier.

From The Mountains of California by Muir, John

Vocabulary lists containing somber

100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know

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List 1

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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3

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