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.

The numbers get more sobering as one reads on.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Arsenal remain in a superb position in the Premier League and have the Champions League and FA Cup in their sights, but this was a sobering and disappointing day for the Gunners.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

I’m sadly reminded of colleagues who never recovered, a sobering thought as we stare down the barrel of yet another employment crisis.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

However, this sobering trip to the Nou Camp felt another timely reminder of the gap Newcastle have to bridge.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

Already six people had died on Washington’s slopes in 1996, with the year barely half over—quite a sobering statistic—and there was plenty of room on the board for more.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

sobering

Example Sentences

Related Words