Synonyms for somber
somber

WiktionaryRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. somberadjective

   Synonyms:
   unhappy, sad, melancholy

2. somberadjective

   Dark or dreary in character; joyless, and grim.

   Synonyms:
   unhappy, sad, melancholy

3. somberadjective

   Dark, lacking color or brightness.

   Synonyms:
   unhappy, melancholy, sad

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. somber

   Strictly, that which is black is absolutely destitute of color; that which is dark is absolutely destitute of light. In common speech, however, a coat is black, tho not optically colorless; the night is dark, tho the stars shine. That is obscure, shadowy, or shady from which the light is more or less cut off. Dusky is applied to objects which appear as if viewed in fading light; the word is often used, as are swart and swarthy, of the human skin when quite dark, or even verging toward black. Dim refers to imperfection of outline, from distance, darkness, mist, etc., or from some defect of vision. Opaque objects, as smoked glass, are impervious to light. Murky is said of that which is at once dark, obscure, and gloomy; as, a murky den; a murky sky. Figuratively, dark is emblematic of sadness, agreeing with somber, dismal, gloomy, also of moral evil; as, a dark deed. Of intellectual matters, dark is now rarely used in the old sense of a dark saying, etc. See MYSTERIOUS; OBSCURE.

   Compare synonyms for LIGHT.

   Synonyms:
   black, dark, dim, dismal, dusky, gloomy, murky, mysterious, obscure, opaque, sable, shadowy, shady, swart, swarthy

   Antonyms:
   bright, brilliant, clear, crystalline, dazzling, gleaming, glowing, illumined, light, lucid, luminous, radiant, shining, transparent, white

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. drab, sober, somber, sombreadjective

   lacking brightness or color; dull

   "drab faded curtains"; "sober Puritan grey"; "children in somber brown clothes"

   Synonyms:
   sober, serious, melancholy, dingy, drear, grim, gloomy, dismal, blue, dark, grave, drab, olive-drab, sedate, disconsolate, dreary, unplayful, solemn, sorry, sombre

   Antonyms:
   colorful, cheerful, colourful

2. somber, sombre, melancholyadjective

   grave or even gloomy in character

   "solemn and mournful music"; "a suit of somber black"; "a somber mood"

   Synonyms:
   sombre, drab, melancholy, melancholic, sober

   Antonyms:
   cheerful, colourful, colorful

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "somber":

   bleak, gloomy, grim, dismal, dark, sombre

Suggested Resources

1. Somber

   Somber vs. Sombre -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Somber and Sombre.

How to pronounce somber?

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How to use somber in a sentence?

1. Rich Azzopardi:

   Memorial Day is Monday -- flags will be flown at halfstaff in honor of those frontline workers who paid the ultimate price while fighting this pandemic on Sunday, both are somber days and their memories deserve better than to be politicized by a bunch of craven partisans. They should be ashamed.

2. Wolf Blitzer:

   As president of the United States you have to look at these issues in a more somber and sober way.

3. Alexander MacLaren:

   Every life has dark tracts and long stretches of somber tint, and no representation is true to fact which dips its pencil only in light, and flings no shadows on the canvas.

4. Jerrie Wu:

   We are too somber to celebrate the holiday.

5. Alex Villanueva:

   This is just a somber reminder that this is a dangerous job, and actions and words have consequences. Our job does not get any easier because people do not like law enforcement, it pisses me off, it dismays me at the same time. There's no pretty way to say it.