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.

Tech companies are spending big on building out AI infrastructure, and Google’s new equity offering is a sobering reminder that money doesn’t grow on trees.

From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026

Altogether, the Browns’ decision to deal away the 30-year-old Garrett is a sobering admission that a team that has won only eight games over the past two years is still years away from seriously contending.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Buschatzke called such large mandatory cuts a sobering possibility for Arizona.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

It is a sobering thought for everyone attached to United that Fernandes might not have been at Old Trafford this season.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

While I wasn’t surprised, the experience was sobering, reminding me again of how different I was from the other students.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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