sober

verb

become sober after excessive alcohol consumption

become more realistic

cause to become sober

adjective

completely lacking in playfulness

lacking brightness or color

dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises

not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

Roots

sobriussober- · Latin · not drunk

Synonyms for sober

sedateadj undrunk teetotalv abstinentn abstentiousadj sobersidedadj somberadj saneadj staidadj

Synonyms & related words for sober

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of sober — including sedate, undrunk, teetotal, abstinent, abstentious, sobersided. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to sober

Explore words related to sober — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include soberize, nonintoxicating, sobriety, insobriety, soberness, unliquored, nephalism, nephalist. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for sober

Common synonyms for sober include sedate, undrunk, teetotal, abstinent, abstentious, sobersided, somber, sane — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does sober come from?

The word sober breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root sober-, from Latin sobrius (“not drunk”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.