FromOld Frenchsobre, fromLatinsōbrius, fromse-(“without”) +ebrius(“intoxicated”), fromProto-Indo-European*h₁egʷʰ-(“drink”). In the sense "not drunk," displaced nativeundrunken, fromOld Englishundruncen.

• enPR:sō'bə(r),IPA^(key):/ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/
• (General American)IPA^(key):/ˈsoʊ.bɚ/

• Audio(US):

  (file)

• Rhymes:-əʊbə(ɹ)
• Homophone:soba(non-rhotic)

sober (comparativesoberer,superlativesoberest)

1. Notdrunk; notintoxicated.

   Synonyms:seeThesaurus:sober

   Antonyms:drunk;see alsoThesaurus:drunk

2. Notunder the influence of anyrecreational drug.
   • 2014 October 27,Taylor Swift,Imogen Heap, “Clean (Taylor's Version)”, in1989 (Taylor's Version)‎^[1], performed by Taylor Swift, published 2023 October 27:

     Ten monthssober, I must admit
     Just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it

3. Not given toexcessivedrinking ofalcohol.

   Synonyms:abstemious,temperate;see alsoThesaurus:abstemious

   • 1890, John Charles Cox, “The Sober Life”, inThe Godly, Righteous, And Sober Life,page35:

     Amid all the confusion and disorder that sin has introduced into the world, the Christian in union with God has a grace or Divine help that enables him to live thesober, self-restrained life.

   • 2020 December 29, Hilary Sheinbaum, “Finding Love Without Alcohol”, inThe New York Times‎^[2],→ISSN:

     After eliminating alcohol from their lives, somesober individuals exclusively date nondrinkers.

   • (Can wedate this quote?),(Please provide the book title or journal name)‎^[3]:

     Rose told me that she's sober.

4. (figurative)Moderate;realistic;serious; notplayful; notpassionate;cool;self-controlled.

   Synonyms:seeThesaurus:moderate,Thesaurus:temperate

   • 1678,John Bunyan,The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London:[…] Nath[aniel] Ponder […],→OCLC,page31:

     God help me to watch and to besober.

   • 1680,John Dryden, “The Preface to Ovid’s Epistles”, inOvid,Ovid’s Epistles, […], London:[…]Jacob Tonson […],→OCLC:

     [N]oſober man vvould put himſelf into a danger for the Applauſe of ſcaping vvithout breaking his Neck.

   • 2005,Plato, translated by Lesley Brown,Sophist, page230d:

     Which is the finest andsoberest state possible.

5. (of color)Dull; notbright orcolorful.

   Synonyms:muted,subdued;see alsoThesaurus:dim

   • 1667,John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, inParadise Lost. […], London:[…] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […];[a]nd by Robert Boulter […];[a]nd Matthias Walker, […],→OCLC; republished asParadise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […],1873,→OCLC:

     Twilight grey / Had in hersober livery all things clad.

6. Subdued;solemn;grave.

   Synonyms:seeThesaurus:serious

   • 1717, Alexander Pope,Letter from Edward Blount, Esq.:

     See hersober over a sampler, or gay over a jointed baby.

   • 1718,Mat[thew] Prior, “Alma: Or, The Progress of the Mind”, inPoems on Several Occasions, London:[…]Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […],→OCLC:

     What parts gay France fromsober Spain? A little rising rocky chain.

7. (Scotland)Poor;feeble.

• teetotaller

sober (third-person singular simple presentsobers,present participlesobering,simple past and past participlesobered)

1. (often withup) To make or become sober.
   • 1711, Alexander Pope,An Essay on Criticism:

     There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, / And drinking largelysobers us again.

   • 1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, inRailway Magazine, page53:

     The night air may havesobered him a bit by the time they got back to Beattock.

2. (often withup) Toovercome orlose a state ofintoxication.

   It took him hours tosober up.

3. Tomoderate one's feelings; to accept a disappointing reality after losing one's ability to believe in a fantastic goal.

   Losing his job was asobering experience.

• Bores,Boers,Serob,Serbo-,Brose,robes,Obers,bores,Boser,brose,Beros

FromFrenchsobre, fromLatinsobrius.

• Rhymes:-oːbər

sober

1. sober (in character; moderate; realistic; serious)

FromMiddle Dutchsober, fromOld Frenchsobre, fromLatinsōbrius.Doublet ofzuiver.

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes:-oːbər

sober (comparativesoberder,superlativesoberst)

1. simple,plain,austere

   Synonym:eenvoudig

   Antonym:overdadig

2. sober, notdrunk

   Synonym:nuchter

   Antonym:dronken

FromFrenchsobre.

sober (comparativesobrare,superlativesobrast)

1. moderate
2. stylish,discreetlytasteful

• sober inSvenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• sober inSvensk ordbok (SO)
• sober inSvenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• sobre