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 throughout the two-hour ceremony, he looked like a man feeling the weight of the crown — in his case, an imperial one set with 2,868 diamonds, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 269 pearls.

From New York Times • May 6, 2023

Somber, embalmed-body funerals, with their $9,000 industry average price tag, are, for many families, a relic.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2019

Somber blackboards clothe the walls to the right and beside your desk is the delicate ivory of a nobly cast head.

From Darkwater Voices from Within the Veil by Du Bois, W. E. B. (William Edward Burghardt)

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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