English Explanatory Dictionary

sober

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Not drunk; not intoxicated.
  2. Not under the influence of any recreational drug.
  3. Not given to excessive drinking of alcohol.
  4. Moderate; realistic; serious; not playful; not passionate; cool; self-controlled.
  5. Dull; not bright or colorful.
  6. Subdued; solemn; grave.
  7. Poor; feeble.
verb
  1. To make or become sober.
  2. To overcome or lose a state of intoxication.
  3. To moderate one's feelings; to accept a disappointing reality after losing one's ability to believe in a fantastic goal.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

sō'bə /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/ /ˈsoʊ.bɚ/ En-us-sober.ogg

Word forms

sober soberer soberest sobers sobering sobered

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English sober, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius, from se- (“without”) + ebrius (“intoxicated”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁egʷʰ- (“drink”). In the sense "not drunk," displaced native undrunken, from Old English undruncen.

Synonyms

clearheaded dry on the wagon sober sober as a judge stone-cold sober undrunken unintoxicated abstemious temperate abstentious abstinent spareful measured mellow middle of the road mild moderate nonexcessive nonextreme nonfanatic proper reasonable reasonous tempered unexcessive unextreme calm collected composed continent cool dispassionate inexcitable imperturbable regular sedate steady staid undisturbed unexcitable unexcited unimpassioned unpassionate unperturbed unruffled unstirred unsusceptible muted subdued bland colourless dim dingy dull faint lackluster leaden muddy sad

Antonyms

drunk stoned Adrian Quist adrip aled up all mops and brooms arseholed a sheet in the wind a sheet in the wind's eye bedrunken befuddled beliquored besotted besotten bevvied bibacious bibulous binned bingoed bladdered blasted blewed blind blind drunk blitzed blocked blootered blottoed blue bollocksed bombed boozy bosky bottled Brahms Brahms and Liszt budgy bungalowed bungfu burlin' canned clobbered corned cocked cockeyed crapulous crocked cunted cup-shot cup-shotten cut dead drunk destroyed disguised drunk as a piper drunked up drunken ebriated ebriose elephant's

Related words

teetotaller teetotaler

Derived words

appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober California sober cold sober draw a sober breath drunk words are sober thoughts ensober insober sober as a judge sober-curious sober down soberer sober house soberize sober living house soberly soberness sobersided sobersides sober space sober up soberversary stone-cold sober unsober wanton kittens make sober cats unsobered
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