sober

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /ˈsoʊbɚ/ UK /ˈsəʊbə/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
not drunk; serious, solemn, or restrained

He gave a sober account of the dangers ahead.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · not drunk; serious, solemn,... abstemious temperate serious solemn grave restrained sedate dispassionate

Opposites

drunkintoxicatedfrivolous giddy tipsy

Word family

Forms soberly

Derived forms soberlysobernesssobering

Related forms sobriety

Etymology

From Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius ('not drunk, temperate'), from sē-/sō- ('without') + a root related to ēbrius ('drunk').

sobre Old French sōbrius Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# sober

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /ˈsoʊbɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈsəʊbə/

## Meanings
1. not drunk; serious, solemn, or restrained

## Examples
- He gave a sober account of the dangers ahead.

## Synonyms
- abstemious
- temperate
- serious
- solemn
- grave
- restrained
- sedate
- dispassionate

## Antonyms
- drunk
- intoxicated
- frivolous
- giddy
- tipsy

## Derived Forms
- soberly
- soberness
- sobering

## Related Forms
- sobriety

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: sobre
- Root: sōbrius

## Etymology
From Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius ('not drunk, temperate'), from sē-/sō- ('without') + a root related to ēbrius ('drunk').

## AI Etymology
Sober is from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius ('not drunk, temperate'), from sē-/sō- ('without') + a root related to ēbrius ('drunk'). In present-day use, it means not drunk; serious, solemn, or restrained. Derived formations include soberly, soberness, and sobering. Related vocabulary includes sobriety.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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