sober

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Related to sobered: somber

so·ber

(sō′bər)

adj. so·ber·er, so·ber·est

1. Not intoxicated or affected by the use of alcohol or drugs.

2. Abstaining from or habitually abstemious in the use of alcoholic drink or other intoxicants: a former addict who has been sober for 10 years.

3. Straightforward and serious; not exaggerated, emotional, or silly: gave a sober assessment of the situation.

4. Serious or staid in character or conduct: Sober people refrained from making a judgment until all the facts came out. See Synonyms at serious.

5. Plain or subdued, as in decoration: sober attire.

tr. & intr.v. so·bered, so·ber·ing, so·bers

To make or become sober: "He could not be dissuaded and set off again on his foolish way while we headed north, saddened and sobered by his recklessness, and by the waste of his hours" (Rick Bass).

Phrasal Verb:

sober up

1. To make or become free from intoxication: sobered herself up after the party; tried to sober up with coffee.

2. To make or become free from habitual intoxication: He has been trying to sober up for years.

[Middle English sobre, temperate, not inebriated, from Old French, from Latin sōbrius; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots.]

so′ber·ly adv.

so′ber·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

sober

(ˈsəʊbə)

adj

1. not drunk

2. not given to excessive indulgence in drink or any other activity

3. sedate and rational: a sober attitude to a problem.

4. (Colours) (of colours) plain and dull or subdued

5. free from exaggeration or speculation: he told us the sober truth.

(usually foll by up) to make or become less intoxicated, reckless, etc

[C14 sobre, from Old French, from Latin sōbrius]

ˈsobering adj

ˈsoberingly adv

ˈsoberly adv

ˈsoberness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

so•ber

(ˈsoʊ bər)

adj. -ber•er, -ber•est,
v. adj.

1. not drunk.

2. habitually temperate, esp. in the use of liquor.

3. quiet or sedate in demeanor: a serious, sober couple.

4. marked by seriousness, solemnity, etc.: a sober occasion.

5. subdued in tone, as color; not flashy or showy, as clothes.

6. free from excess, extravagance, or exaggeration: sober facts.

7. showing self-control: sober restraint.

8. sane or rational.

v.t., v.i.

9. to make or become sober (often fol. by up).

[1300–50; Middle English sobre < Old French < Latin sōbrius]

so′ber•ing•ly, adv.

so′ber•ly, adv.

so′ber•ness, n.

syn: See grave².

sober

Past participle: sobered
Gerund: sobering

Imperative
sober
sober

Present
I sober
you sober
he/she/it sobers
we sober
you sober
they sober

Preterite
I sobered
you sobered
he/she/it sobered
we sobered
you sobered
they sobered

Present Continuous
I am sobering
you are sobering
he/she/it is sobering
we are sobering
you are sobering
they are sobering

Present Perfect
I have sobered
you have sobered
he/she/it has sobered
we have sobered
you have sobered
they have sobered

Past Continuous
I was sobering
you were sobering
he/she/it was sobering
we were sobering
you were sobering
they were sobering

Past Perfect
I had sobered
you had sobered
he/she/it had sobered
we had sobered
you had sobered
they had sobered

Future
I will sober
you will sober
he/she/it will sober
we will sober
you will sober
they will sober

Future Perfect
I will have sobered
you will have sobered
he/she/it will have sobered
we will have sobered
you will have sobered
they will have sobered

Future Continuous
I will be sobering
you will be sobering
he/she/it will be sobering
we will be sobering
you will be sobering
they will be sobering

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been sobering
you have been sobering
he/she/it has been sobering
we have been sobering
you have been sobering
they have been sobering

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been sobering
you will have been sobering
he/she/it will have been sobering
we will have been sobering
you will have been sobering
they will have been sobering

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been sobering
you had been sobering
he/she/it had been sobering
we had been sobering
you had been sobering
they had been sobering

Conditional
I would sober
you would sober
he/she/it would sober
we would sober
you would sober
they would sober

Past Conditional
I would have sobered
you would have sobered
he/she/it would have sobered
we would have sobered
you would have sobered
they would have sobered

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Verb	1.	sober - cause to become sober; "A sobering thought" alter, change, modify - cause to change; make different; cause a transformation; "The advent of the automobile may have altered the growth pattern of the city"; "The discussion has changed my thinking about the issue"
	2.	sober - become more realistic; "After thinking about the potential consequences of his plan, he sobered up" sober up become, get, go - enter or assume a certain state or condition; "He became annoyed when he heard the bad news"; "It must be getting more serious"; "her face went red with anger"; "She went into ecstasy"; "Get going!"
	3.	sober - become sober after excessive alcohol consumption; "Keep him in bed until he sobers up" sober up become, get, go - enter or assume a certain state or condition; "He became annoyed when he heard the bad news"; "It must be getting more serious"; "her face went red with anger"; "She went into ecstasy"; "Get going!"
Adj.	1.	sober - not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol) drunk, inebriated, intoxicated - stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol); "a noisy crowd of intoxicated sailors"; "helplessly inebriated"
	2.	sober - dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises; "a grave God-fearing man"; "a quiet sedate nature"; "as sober as a judge"; "a solemn promise"; "the judge was solemn as he pronounced sentence" grave, solemn, sedate serious - concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities; "a serious student of history"; "a serious attempt to learn to ski"; "gave me a serious look"; "a serious young man"; "are you serious or joking?"; "Don't be so serious!"
	3.	sober - lacking brightness or color; dull; "drab faded curtains"; "sober Puritan grey"; "children in somber brown clothes" somber, sombre, drab colorless, colourless - weak in color; not colorful
	4.	sober - completely lacking in playfulness unplayful, serious

sober

adjective

1. abstinent, temperate, abstemious, moderate, on the wagon (informal) He was dour and uncommunicative when stone sober.
abstinent drunk, intoxicated, tight (informal), flying (slang), bombed (slang), wasted (slang), smashed (slang), hammered (slang), steaming (slang), wrecked (slang), plastered, blitzed (slang), pissed (Brit., Austral., & N.Z. slang), merry (Brit. informal), guttered (slang), sloshed (slang), tipsy, paralytic (informal), tired and emotional (euphemistic), steamboats (Scot. slang), tiddly (slang, chiefly Brit.), off your face (slang), zonked (slang), blotto (slang), inebriated, having had one too many, rat-arsed (taboo slang), Brahms and Liszt (slang), bevvied (dialect), fu' (Scot.), pie-eyed (slang)

2. serious, practical, realistic, sound, cool, calm, grave, reasonable, steady, composed, rational, solemn, lucid, sedate, staid, level-headed, dispassionate, unruffled, clear-headed, unexcited We are now far more sober and realistic.
serious unrealistic, irrational, frivolous, excessive, sensational, lighthearted, imprudent, injudicious, immoderate

3. plain, dark, sombre, quiet, severe, subdued, drab He dresses in sober grey suits.
plain bright, flamboyant, flashy, gaudy, garish, light

verb

1. calm down, steady, cool down, become more serious After they had sobered, he was able to reassert his authority.

2. (usually with up) come to your senses He was left to sober up in a police cell.
come to your senses get drunk, become intoxicated, get hammered (slang), get off your face (slang)

3. (usually with up) clear your head, dry you out These events sobered him up considerably

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

sober

adjective

1. Exercising moderation and self-restraint in appetites and behavior:

abstemious, continent, temperate.

2. Having or indicating an awareness of things as they really are:

down-to-earth, hard, hardheaded, matter-of-fact, objective, practical, pragmatic, pragmatical, prosaic, realistic, tough-minded, unromantic.

3. Full of or marked by dignity and seriousness:

earnest, grave, sedate, serious, solemn, somber, staid.

Translations

عاقِل، مُتَّزِنغَيْرُ ثَمَلٍغَيْر ثَمِلليسَ بَرّاقامُعْتَدِل

střízlivýsuchý

ædruenkelnøgternsober

nüchtern besonnen ernst ernüchtern

νηφάλιος ξεμέθυστος διαυγής

sobrio formal sereno serio

raitis

sobre mesuré posé

trijezan

szolid

alvarlegurdempaîur, daufuródrukkinnÿkjulaus, yfirvegaîur

sobrio lucido serio smaltire una sbornia

シラフなしらふの真面目な酔いを醒ます

술 취하지 않은

blaivėtiblaiviaiblaivumasišblaivytiišsiblaivyti

atturīgsmērensnedzērisneuzkrītošsnopietns

triezvy

trezen

nykter

ไม่เมา

ayıkciddîdonuk sadeaklı başında

tỉnh

严肃的冷静的未醉的朴素的清醒的

sober

[ˈsəʊbəʳ]

A. ADJ

1. (= not drunk) → sobrio
to stay sober → mantenerse sobrio
to be as sober as a judge; be stone-cold sober → estar perfectamente sobrio

2. (= serious, calm) [person] → serio, formal; [expression] → grave; [attitude, assessment] → serio, sobrio; [fact] → cruel; [reality] → crudo, duro
after sober reflection → después de una seria reflexión

3. (= dull, subdued) [clothes, suit, style, decor] → sobrio, discreto; [colour] → discreto

B. VT

1. (also sober up) (= stop being drunk) → despejar, quitar la borrachera a

2. (= make more serious) → volver más serio

C. VI

1. (also sober up) (= stop being drunk) → despejarse, pasársele la borrachera

2. (= become more serious) → volverse más serio

sober up

A. VT + ADV

1. (= stop being drunk) → despejar, quitar la borrachera a

2. (= make more serious) → volver más serio a

B. VI + ADV

1. (= stop being drunk) when she had sobered up → cuando se hubo despejado, cuando se le hubo pasado la borrachera

2. (= become serious) → volverse más serio

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

sober

[ˈsəʊbə^r] adj

(= not drunk) → qui n'est pas ivre (= no longer drunk) → qui a dessoûlé
We decided to wait until he was sober
BUT Nous avons décidé d'attendre jusqu'à ce qu'il dessoûle.
to stay sober → ne pas se soûler

(= serious, thoughtful) [person] → sérieux/euse, sensé(e)

(= realistic) [assessment, response] → mesuré(e)

[colour, style] → sobre, discret/ète

sober up

vt sep → dessoûler

vi → dessoûler

sober

adj

(= not drunk) → nüchtern; to be as sober as a judge → stocknüchtern sein (inf)

(= sedate, serious) life, expression, mood, occasion, person → ernst; (= sensible, moderate) opinion → vernünftig; assessment, statement, advice, facts → nüchtern

(= not bright or showy) → schlicht, dezent; colour, suit → gedeckt

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

sober

[ˈsəʊbəʳ]

1. adj

a. (not drunk) → sobrio/a
to be far from sober → non essere affatto sobrio/a
to be as sober as a judge, be stone-cold sober → essere perfettamente sobrio/a

b. (rational, sedate, dull, life, person, colour) → sobrio/a; (opinion, statement, estimate) → ponderato/a; (occasion) → solenne
the sober truth → la verità pura e semplice
in a sober mood → serio/a

2. vt (also sober up) → far passare la sbornia a (fig) → calmare

3. vi (also sober up) → smaltire la sbornia (fig) → calmarsi
her mother's rebuke had a sobering effect on her → il rimprovero di sua madre la fece pensare

sober

(ˈsəubə) adjective

1. not drunk. He was still sober when he left.

2. serious in mind. a sober mood.

3. (of colour) not bright. She wore a sober (grey) dress.

4. moderate; not overdone or too emotional. His account of the accident was factual and sober.

ˈsobering adjective

a sobering experience/thought.

ˈsoberly adverb

ˈsoberness noun

the quality which a thing, person etc has when sober. soberness of mind.

sober up

to make or become (more) sober.

sober

→ غَيْرُ ثَمَلٍ střízlivý ædru nüchtern νηφάλιος sobrio raitis sobre trijezan sobrio しらふの 술 취하지 않은 sober edru trzeźwy sóbrio трезвый nykter ไม่เมา ayık tỉnh 清醒的

sober

a. sobrio-a, serio;

to get ___ → dejar de beber, dejar de tomar bebidas alcohólicas.

sober

adj sobrio; vi to — up (from an intoxication) recuperar la sobriedad; (lifestyle change) dejar el alcohol, dejar de tomar; vt to sober (one) up bajar(le) la borrachera

References in classic literature ?

Before daylight, the chill of the water and the passage of the hours had sobered me sufficiently to make me wonder what portion of the Straits I was in, and also to wonder if the turn of the tide wouldn't catch me and take me back ere I had drifted out into San Pablo Bay.

View in context

'Twas a chilly night, an' faith, ut sobered Peg Barney.

View in context

She could not bear to remain away from it any longer - it was like deserting him - and she hurried swiftly back, accompanied by half-a-dozen labourers, including the drunken man whom the news had sobered, and who was the best man of all.