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.

Against a somber, black background, the sitter comes vividly alive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Instead, in a sign of the times that seems impossibly quaint in the harsh light of 2026, she issued a somber mea culpa.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

But on the other hand, the genre’s somber leanings afford him a tender space for sharing the brand of wisdom that only comes with age.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

Activists held a gathering of US lawmakers on Thursday at the somber display located a stone's throw from the Capitol, with a simple plea: "Bring Them Home."

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

“By all means,” he says with a slight bow and poses like an old-fashioned gentleman, stiff and somber but with a twinkle hiding somewhere close.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

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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