Definitions

somber

[som-ber] / ˈsɒm bər /

ADJECTIVE

sad, depressing

Synonyms

STRONGEST

bleak dark dull earnest funereal gloomy grim melancholy mournful sedate serious sober solemn weighty

WEAK

black blue caliginous cloudy depressive dim dingy dire dismal dispiriting doleful down drab dragged dreary dusky grave hurting joyless lugubrious murky no-nonsense obscure sepulchral shadowy shady sourpuss staid tenebrous

Antonyms

STRONGEST

bright cheerful encouraging excited flippant funny happy hopeful joyful light lively luminous sunny trivial unimportant unserious vivacious

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.

Adams does not stop for meaning, his early minimalist style causing the words to flow over you whether in somber reflection or the wildness of wild nights that do, indeed, stop for death.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 9, 2026

Against a somber, black background, the sitter comes vividly alive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

Instead, in a sign of the times that seems impossibly quaint in the harsh light of 2026, she issued a somber mea culpa.

From Slate • May 6, 2026

But on the other hand, the genre’s somber leanings afford him a tender space for sharing the brand of wisdom that only comes with age.

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2026

“No,” Vivi told him in her somber little voice.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Vocabulary lists containing somber

100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know

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List 1

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The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 3

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