sober

From Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius, from se- (“without”) + ebrius (“intoxicated”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁egʷʰ- (“drink”). In the sense "not drunk," displaced native undrunken, from Old English undruncen.

• enPR: sō'bə(r), IPA^(key): /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -əʊbə(ɹ)
• Homophone: soba (in non-rhotic accents)

sober (comparative soberer, superlative soberest)

1. Not drunk; not intoxicated.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sober

   Antonyms: drunk; see also Thesaurus:drunk

2. Not under the influence of any recreational drug.
3. Not given to excessive drinking of alcohol.

   Synonym: abstemious

   • 1890, John Charles Cox, “The Sober Life”, in The Godly, Righteous, And Sober Life, page 35:

     Amid all the confusion and disorder that sin has introduced into the world, the Christian in union with God has a grace or Divine help that enables him to live the sober, self-restrained life.

   • 2020 December 29, Hilary Sheinbaum, “Finding Love Without Alcohol”, in The New York Times‎, ISSN 0362-4331:

     After eliminating alcohol from their lives, some sober individuals exclusively date nondrinkers.

4. Given to excessive drinking of alcohol, but having made a conscious decision to abstain from it.
   • (Can we date this quote?) (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎:

     Rose told me that she's sober.

5. (figurative) Moderate; realistic; serious; not playful; not passionate; cool; self-controlled.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:moderate, Thesaurus:serious

   • 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], OCLC 228725984; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress (The Noel Douglas Replicas), London: Noel Douglas, […], 1928, OCLC 5190338, page 31:

     God help me to watch and to be sober.

   • 1681, John Dryden, “The Preface to Ovid’s Epistles”, in Ovid, Ovid’s Epistles, […], 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], OCLC 13711515, page 21:

     [N]o sober man would put himſelf into danger for the Applauſe of ſcaping without breaking his Neck.

   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 230d.

     Which is the finest and soberest state possible.

6. (of color) Dull; not bright or colorful.

   Synonyms: muted, subdued

   • 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the book number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], OCLC 228722708; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, OCLC 230729554:

     Twilight grey / Had in her sober livery all things clad.

7. Subdued; solemn; grave.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:serious

   • 1717, Alexander Pope, Letter from Edward Blount, Esq.

     See her sober over a sampler, or gay over a jointed baby.

   • 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Alma: Or, The Progress of the Mind”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], OCLC 5634253:

     What parts gay France from sober Spain? A little rising rocky chain.

8. (Scotland) Poor; feeble.

• teetotaller

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

1. (often with up) To make or become sober.
   • 1711, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism:

     There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, / And drinking largely sobers us again.

2. (often with up) To overcome or lose a state of intoxication.

   It took him hours to sober up.

3. To moderate one's feelings.

• Beros, Boers, Bores, Boser, Brose, Serbo-, bores, brose, robes

From French sobre, from Latin sobrius.

• Rhymes: -oːbər

sober

1. sober (in character; moderate; realistic; serious)

From Middle Dutch sober, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius. Doublet of zuiver.

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• Rhymes: -oːbər

sober (comparative soberder, superlative soberst)

1. simple, plain, austere

• eenvoudig

• overdadig

From French sobre.

sober (comparative sobrare, superlative sobrast)

1. moderate
2. stylish, discreetly tasteful

• sober in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
• sober in Svensk ordbok (SO)
• sober in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

• sobre