Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Sober

Adj.

[

Com

par.

Soberer

;

sup

erl.

Soberest

[OE.

sobre

, F.

sobre

, from L.

sobrius

, probably from a prefix

so-

expressing separation +

ebrius

drunken. Cf.

Ebriety

Temperate in the use of spirituous liquors; habitually temperate;

as, a

sober

man

That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and

sober

life, to the glory of Thy holy name.

Bk. of Com. Prayer.

Not intoxicated or excited by spirituous liquors;

as, the sot may at times be

sober

Not mad or insane; not wild, visionary, or heated with passion; exercising cool, dispassionate reason; self-controlled; self-possessed.

There was not a

sober

person to be had; all was tempestuous and blustering.

Druden.

sober

man would put himself into danger for the applause of escaping without breaking his neck.

Dryden.

Not proceeding from, or attended with, passion; calm;

as,

sober

judgment; a man in his

sober

senses.

Serious or subdued in demeanor, habit, appearance, or color; solemn; grave; sedate.

What parts gay France from

sober

Spain?

Prior.

See her

sober

over a sampler, or gay over a jointed baby.

Pope.

Twilight gray
Had in her

sober

livery all things clad.

Milton.

Syn. – Grave; temperate; abstinent; abstemious; moderate; regular; steady; calm; quiet; cool; collected; dispassionate; unimpassioned; sedate; staid; serious; solemn; somber. See

Grave

So′ber

Verb.

[

imp. & p. p.

Sobered

;

p. pr. & vb. n.

Sobering

To make sober.

There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain,
And drinking largely

sobers

us again.

Pope.

So′ber

Verb.

To become sober; – often with down.

Vance gradually

sobered

down.

Ld. Lytton.

Webster 1828 Edition

Sober

SO'BER

Adj.

[L. sobrius.]

Temperate in the use of spiritous liquors; habitually temperate; as a sober man. Live a sober, righteous and godly life.

Not intoxicated or overpowered by spiritous liquors; not drunken. The sot may at times be sober.

Not mad or insane; not wild, visionary or heated with passion; having the regular exercise of cool dispassionate reason. There was not a sober person to be had; all was tempestuous and blustering. Not sober man would put himself in danger, for the applause of escaping without breaking his neck.

Regular; calm; not under the influence of passion; as sober judgment; a man in his sober senses.

Serious; solemn; grave; as the sober livery of autumn. What parts gay France from sober Spain? See her sober over a sampler, or gay over a jointed baby.

SO'BER

Verb.

TO make sober; to cure of intoxication. There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain and drinking largely sobers us again.

Definition 2024

sober

See also: sõber

English

Adjective

sober ‎(comparative soberer, superlative soberest)

not drunk; not intoxicated
not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
- Book of Common Prayer
  a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Thy holy name
moderate; realistic; serious; not playful; not passionate; cool; self-controlled
- Dryden
  No sober man would put himself into danger for the applause of escaping without breaking his neck.
- 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 230d.
  Which is the finest and soberest state possible.
dull; not bright or colorful
- Milton
  Twilight grey / Had in her sober livery all things clad.
subdued; solemn; grave
- Prior
  What parts gay France from sober Spain?
- Alexander Pope
  See her sober over a sampler, or gay over a jointed baby.

Synonyms

See also Wikisaurus:sober
See also Wikisaurus:serious
See also Wikisaurus:moderate

Antonyms

(not drunk): drunk

Related terms

Translations

not drunk

Armenian: սթափ (hy) ‎(stʿapʿ)
Bashkir: айыҡ ‎(ayïq), айныҡ ‎(aynïq)
Belarusian: цвяро́зы (be) ‎(cvjarózy)
Catalan: sobri
Chinese:
Mandarin: 清醒 (zh) ‎(qīngxǐng), 冷靜 (zh), 冷静 (zh) ‎(lěngjìng)
Czech: střízlivý m
Danish: ædru (da)
Dutch: nuchter (nl)
Erzya: тетява ‎(tetjava)
Esperanto: sobra (eo)
Finnish: selvä (fi); selvin päin
French: sobre (fr)
German: nüchtern (de)
Greek: νηφάλιος (el) m ‎(nifálios)
Hebrew: פּכֵּחַ (he) m ‎(pikkéaḥ)
Hungarian: józan (hu)

Irish: neamh-mheisciúil
Italian: sobrio (it) m
Japanese: シラフ ‎(shirafu)
Luxembourgish: eniichter
Norman: sobre m, f (Jersey)
Norwegian:

Bokmål: edru

Nynorsk: edru
Polish: trzeźwy (pl)
Portuguese: sóbrio (pt)
Russian: тре́звый (ru) ‎(trézvyj)
Scottish Gaelic: sòbair, stuama
Serbo-Croatian: trijezan (sh)
Spanish: sobrio (es), sereno (es)
Swedish: nykter (sv)
Yiddish: ניכטער ‎(nikhter)

not given to excessive drinking of alcohol

Catalan: sobri
Danish: ædruelig
Dutch: nuchter (nl)
Finnish: raitis (fi)
French: sobre (fr)
Greek: εγκρατής (el) m ‎(enkratís)

Irish: neamh-mheisciúil
Italian: sobrio (it) m
Norman: sobre m, f (Jersey)
Portuguese: sóbrio (pt)
Scottish Gaelic: sòbair, stuama

moderate

Bashkir: айыҡ ‎(ayïq), айныҡ ‎(aynïq)
Catalan: sobri
Czech: střízlivý m
Danish: sober (da)
Finnish: hillitty (fi)
French: sobre (fr)
German: besonnen (de), ernst (de)

Greek: νηφάλιος (el) m ‎(nifálios), μετρημένος (el) m ‎(metriménos)
Italian: sobrio (it) m
Japanese: 真面目 (ja) ‎(majime)
Norman: sobre m, f (Jersey)
Portuguese: sóbrio (pt)
Russian: уме́ренный (ru) ‎(umérennyj)
Scottish Gaelic: stuama

dull

Catalan: sobri
Czech: tupý (cs) m, hloupý (cs) m
Finnish: hillitty (fi)
French: sobre (fr)
German: gedeckt (de) (of colours)

Norman: sobre m, f (Jersey)
Portuguese: sóbrio (pt)
Russian: нея́ркий (ru) ‎(nejárkij), ту́склый (ru) ‎(túsklyj)
Turkish: hüşyar, mutedil (tr), uyanık dikkatli

subdued; solemn; grave

Finnish: vakava (fi), vakavamielinen

Verb

sober ‎(third-person singular simple present sobers, present participle sobering, simple past and past participle sobered)

(often with up) To make or become sober.
- Alexander Pope
  There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, / And drinking largely sobers us again.
(often with up) To overcome or lose a state of intoxication.
It took him hours to sober up.

Translations

make or become sober

Czech: vystřízlivět pf
Esperanto: sobrigi
Finnish: selvittää (fi)

German: ernüchtern
Japanese: 酔いを醒ます ‎(yoi wo samasu)
Swedish: nyktra (sv), nyktra till

overcome intoxication

Czech: vystřízlivět pf
Esperanto: sobriĝi
Finnish: selvitä (fi)

French: cuver (fr)
German: ausnüchtern
Swedish: nyktra (sv), nyktra till

Anagrams

Boers, bores, Brose, brose, robes

Danish

Etymology

From French sobre, from Latin sobrius.

Adjective

sober

sober (in character; moderate; realistic; serious)

Inflection

Inflection of sober
	Positive	Comparative	Superlative
Common singular	sober	sobrere	sobrest²
Neuter singular	sobert	sobrere	sobrest²
Plural	sobre	sobrere	sobrest²
Definite attributive¹	sobre	sobrere	sobreste
1) When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. 2) The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Dutch

Pronunciation

Adjective

sober ‎(comparative soberder, superlative soberst)

simple, plain, austere

Inflection

Inflection of sober
uninflected	sober
inflected	sobere
comparative	soberder
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		sober	soberder	het soberst het soberste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	sobere	soberdere	soberste
	n. sing.	sober	soberder	soberste
	plural	sobere	soberdere	soberste
definite		sobere	soberdere	soberste
partitive		sobers	soberders	—

Synonyms

eenvoudig

Antonyms

overdadig

Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Sober

Sober

So′ber

So′ber

Webster 1828 Edition

Sober

SO'BER

SO'BER

Definition 2024

sober

sober

English

Adjective

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related terms

Translations

See also

Verb

Translations

Anagrams

Danish

Etymology

Adjective

Inflection

Dutch

Pronunciation

Adjective

Inflection

Synonyms

Antonyms

Etymology

Pronunciation

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