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.

But he views the trajectory of icons like Hatton as a sobering warning.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 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

These are dutiful, sobering acts of mourning — Seftel’s is the probable awardee.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026

Even in a flight to safety, if spirits start to stumble, the message from staples could quickly turn sobering.

From Barron's • Feb. 17, 2026

But his talk all those years later was a sobering reminder of how high the stakes had been that day whether we knew it or not.

From "While the World Watched: A Birmingham Bombing Survivor Comes of Age during the Civil Rights Movement" by Carolyn Maull McKinstry

sobering

Example Sentences

Related Words