sobering

[soh-ber-ing] / ˈsoʊ bər ɪŋ /

ADJECTIVE

serious

Synonyms

STRONGEST

dangerous deep difficult far-reaching grievous important major meaningful severe significant tough urgent

WEAK

arduous fateful fell formidable grave grim hard heavy laborious meaning business menacing momentous no joke no laughing matter of consequence operose out for blood playing hard ball pressing smoking strenuous strictly business threatening ugly unamusing unhumorous worrying

Antonyms

STRONGEST

calm easy facile friendly insignificant little meaningless minor small trivial unimportant worthless

WEAK

flippant funny happy light unserious

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.

But beneath the enthusiasm lies a far more sobering reality.

From Barron's • May 22, 2026

Peter Kyle, MP for Hove and Portslade, said the incident was a "sobering and heartbreaking reminder that our families, neighbours and communities are what is important".

From BBC • May 14, 2026

And soon I’d learn something even more sobering: If this technology had been around three decades ago, it might have spared my mom a surgery and some treatments.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

"The implications are really sobering as this new finding essentially places these animals in 'double jeopardy," said Dr. Payne.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

Once I’d conjured up that sobering image, I was able to focus on my situation, and the question at hand: What was she doing here?

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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