Standard Lemma guide

sober

adj · name · verb · 18 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • sō'bə r
  • /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/
  • General-American: /ˈsoʊ.bɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -əʊbə(ɹ)
  • homophone: soba (non-rhotic)
  • CMU ARPABET: S OW1 B ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not drunk; not intoxicated.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: drunk, Adrian Quist, adrip, aled up, all mops and brooms, arseholed, a sheet in the wind, a sheet in the wind's eye, bedrunken, befuddled, beliquored, besotted, besotten, bevvied, bibacious, bibulous, binned, bingoed, bladdered, blasted, blewed, blind, blind drunk, blitzed, blocked, blootered, blottoed, blue, bollocksed, bombed, boozy, bosky, bottled, Brahms, Brahms and Liszt, budgy, bungalowed, bungfu, burlin', canned, clobbered, corned, cocked, cockeyed, crapulous, crocked, cunted, cup-shot, cup-shotten, cut, dead drunk, destroyed, disguised, drunk as a piper, drunked up, drunken, ebriated, ebriose, elephant's, elephant's trunk, elevated, faced, fap, fershnickered, flooey, floored, flush, flushed, flustered, fluted, fluthered, feeling no pain, fou, four sheets in the wind, fresh, fried, frosted, fuckered up, fuckfaced, fuddled, full, fuzzy-headed, fuzzy-minded, gassed, gattered, gee-eyed, gesuip, ginned, gished, glorious, groggified, groggy, half polluted, half cut, half lit, half seas over, hammered, have drink taken, have the sun in one's eyes, hazed, high as a Georgia pine, high as a kite, high, hog-whimpering, honkers, hooched up, hooted, hoovered, hosed, how came you so, impaired, in liquor, in one's altitudes, in one's cups, in the bag, in the drink, inebriate, inebriated, inebrious, insober, insobrietous, inter pocula, jaked, jarred, juiced, juiced up, kaylied, kettled, kisky, lamped, langered, langers, larruped, lash, lashed, lathered, legless, liquored up, liquory, lit, loaded, looped, loopy, loose, lubed, lubed up, lubricated, lushed, mabok, mad with it, maggot, maggoted, mashed, maudlin, medicated, messed up, monged, mortal, mortalled, Mozart and Liszt, muddled, muggy, mullered, munted, muzzy, MWI, nappy, newted, nimptopsical, obfuscated, obliviated, off one's box, off one's head, off one's tits, oiled, oiled up, Oliver, Oliver Twist, on the ran tan, ossified, out of it, out of one's box, out of one's face, out of one's head, out of sight, overcome, overrefreshed, overtaken, paralytic, parlatic, pickled, pie-eyed, pixilated, plastered, ploughed, plowed, polluted, potshot, potted, pounded, primed, puggled, quisby, raddled, ratfaced, razzled, ripe, ripped, rolling, rubbered, sauced, sauced up, scammered, schloshed, schnockered, screwed, scuttered, sewed up, shedded, shellacked, shicker, shickered, shitty, skunked, slammed, slarmied, slizzard, sloppy drunk, sloshed, smashed, snockered, snookered, snozzled, snuffy, soaken, sodden, soshed, sotted, sottish, souped-up, soused, sozzled, sozzly, spanceled, spannered, spiffed, splashed, spongy, sprung, squiffed, steamboats, stewed, stinking, stinko, stoated, stoned, stonkered, stotious, strut, swacked, tanked, tanked up, temulent, temulentive, three sheets in the wind, three sheets to the wind, throwed, tight as a tick, tight, tilted, tippled, tipsy, tired and emotional, toasted, top-heavy, top-heavy with drink, toping, trashed, tuned, twatfaced, twisted, wastey, wazzed, wazzocked, well-oiled, wellied, wet, whittled, withered, wobbly, woozy, worse for liquor, worse for wear, wrecked, zoned, zonked, zooted, zorched, zotzed

2

adj

Meaning 2

Not under the influence of any recreational drug.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Not given to excessive drinking of alcohol.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: abstemious, temperate, abstentious, abstinent, sober, spareful

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Moderate; realistic; serious; not playful; not passionate; cool; self-controlled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: measured, mellow, middle of the road, mild, moderate, nonexcessive, nonextreme, nonfanatic, proper, reasonable, reasonous, sober, temperate, tempered, unexcessive, unextreme, abstemious, calm, collected, composed, continent, cool, dispassionate, inexcitable, imperturbable, regular, sedate, steady, staid, undisturbed, unexcitable, unexcited, unimpassioned, unpassionate, unperturbed, unruffled, unstirred, unsusceptible

Antonyms: none provided

5

adj

Meaning 5

Dull; not bright or colorful.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: muted, subdued, bland, colourless, dim, dingy, dull, faint, lackluster, leaden, muddy, sad, sober, uncolorful, unholiday, wan

Antonyms: none provided

6

adj

Meaning 6

Subdued; solemn; grave.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: austere, frightful, demure, serious, grave, earnest, grievous, lack-laughter, thoughtful, sad, sage, saturnine, sedate, solemn, solemncholy, sober, somber, sombre, staid, stern, sweer, weightsome, weighty

Antonyms: none provided

7

adj

Meaning 7

Poor; feeble.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Scotland

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

name

Meaning 8

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To make or become sober.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: often, with-up

Examples

  • His expression sobered.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

To overcome or lose a state of intoxication.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: often, with-up

Examples

  • It took him hours to sober up.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

To moderate one's feelings; to accept a disappointing reality after losing one's ability to believe in a fantastic goal.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Losing his job was a sobering experience.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

adjective

Meaning 12

not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: intoxicated

13

adjective

Meaning 13

completely lacking in playfulness

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: unplayful, serious

Antonyms: none provided

14

adjective satellite

Meaning 14

lacking brightness or color; dull

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • drab faded curtains
  • sober Puritan grey
  • children in somber brown clothes

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: drab, somber, sombre

Antonyms: none provided

15

adjective satellite

Meaning 15

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • 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

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: grave, sedate, solemn

Antonyms: none provided

16

verb

Meaning 16

become sober after excessive alcohol consumption

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Keep him in bed until he sobers up

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sober up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: become, go, get

17

verb

Meaning 17

become more realistic

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • After thinking about the potential consequences of his plan, he sobered up

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sober up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: become, go, get

18

verb

Meaning 18

cause to become sober

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • A sobering thought

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

History

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English 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.

Across languages

Translations

163 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صَاحٍ (ṣāḥin) — not drunk
  • Armenian: սթափ (stʻapʻ) — not drunk
  • Azerbaijani: ayıq — not drunk
  • Bashkir: айыҡ (ayıq) — not drunk
  • Bashkir: айныҡ (aynıq) — not drunk
  • Belarusian: цвяро́зы (cvjarózy) — not drunk
  • Bulgarian: тре́звен (trézven) — not drunk
  • Catalan: sobri — not drunk
  • Chinese Mandarin: 清醒 (qīngxǐng) — not drunk
  • Chinese Mandarin: 冷靜 /冷静 (lěngjìng) — not drunk
  • Czech: střízlivý — not drunk
  • Czech: střízvý — not drunk
  • Danish: ædru — not drunk
  • Dutch: nuchter — not drunk
  • Erzya: тетява (teťava) — not drunk
  • Esperanto: sobra — not drunk
  • Estonian: kaine — not drunk
  • Finnish: selvä — not drunk
  • Finnish: selvin päin — not drunk
  • French: sobre — not drunk
  • Georgian: ფხიზელი (pxizeli) — not drunk
  • German: nüchtern — not drunk
  • Greek: νηφάλιος (nifálios) — not drunk
  • Ancient Greek: νηφάλιος (nēphálios) — not drunk
  • Hebrew: פִּכֵּחַ (pikéakh) — not drunk
  • Hungarian: józan — not drunk
  • Ingrian: siitiä — not drunk
  • Irish: neamh-mheisciúil — not drunk
  • Italian: sobrio — not drunk
  • Japanese: シラフ (shirafu) — not drunk
  • Karakhanid: اَذِغْ (aδïɣ) — not drunk
  • Kashubian: trzézwi — not drunk
  • Latin: sobrius — not drunk
  • Luxembourgish: eniichter — not drunk
  • Macedonian: трезен (trezen) — not drunk
  • Macedonian: трезвен (trezven) — not drunk
  • Māori: kāore i haurangi — not drunk
  • Norman: sobre — not drunk
  • Norwegian Bokmål: edru — not drunk
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: edru — not drunk
  • Church Slavic: трѣзвъ (trězvŭ) — not drunk
  • Old East Slavic: терезвъ (terezvŭ) — not drunk
  • Old East Slavic: тверезъ (tverezŭ) — not drunk
  • Old English: undruncen — not drunk
  • Plautdietsch: nichta — not drunk
  • Polish: trzeźwy — not drunk
  • Old Polish: trzeźwy — not drunk
  • Old Polish: trzeźwi — not drunk
  • Portuguese: sóbrio — not drunk
  • Romanian: treaz — not drunk
  • Russian: тре́звый (trézvyj) — not drunk
  • Russian: тверёзый (tverjózyj) — not drunk
  • Russian: терёзвый (terjózvyj) — not drunk
  • Scottish Gaelic: sòbair — not drunk
  • Scottish Gaelic: stuama — not drunk
  • Serbo-Croatian: трезан — not drunk
  • Serbo-Croatian: тријезан — not drunk
  • Serbo-Croatian: трезвен — not drunk
  • Serbo-Croatian: trezan — not drunk
  • Serbo-Croatian: trijezan — not drunk
  • Serbo-Croatian: trezven — not drunk
  • Silesian: trzyźwy — not drunk
  • Slovak: triezvy — not drunk
  • Slovene: trezen — not drunk
  • Lower Sorbian: nuchtarny — not drunk
  • Spanish: sobrio — not drunk
  • Spanish: sereno — not drunk
  • Swedish: nykter — not drunk
  • Tatar: аек (ayıq) — not drunk
  • Thai: ไม่เมา — not drunk
  • Thai: สร่างเมา — not drunk
  • Turkish: ayık — not drunk
  • Ukrainian: твере́зий (tverézyj) — not drunk
  • Welsh: sobr — not drunk
  • Yiddish: ניכטער (nikhter) — not drunk
  • Bulgarian: въздържан (vǎzdǎržan) — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Catalan: sobri — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Danish: ædruelig — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Dutch: nuchter — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Esperanto: sobra — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Estonian: karske — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Finnish: raitis — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • French: sobre — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Greek: εγκρατής (egkratís) — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Hungarian: mértékletes — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Irish: neamh-mheisciúil — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Italian: sobrio — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Latin: abstēmius — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Norman: sobre — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Portuguese: sóbrio — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Scottish Gaelic: sòbair — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Scottish Gaelic: stuama — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Welsh: sobr — not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
  • Bashkir: айыҡ (ayıq) — moderate
  • Bashkir: айныҡ (aynıq) — moderate
  • Bulgarian: умерен (umeren) — moderate
  • Catalan: sobri — moderate
  • Czech: střízlivý — moderate
  • Danish: sober — moderate
  • Esperanto: sobra — moderate
  • Finnish: hillitty — moderate
  • French: sobre — moderate
  • German: nüchtern — moderate
  • German: besonnen — moderate
  • German: ernst — moderate
  • Greek: νηφάλιος (nifálios) — moderate
  • Greek: μετρημένος (metriménos) — moderate
  • Hungarian: józan — moderate
  • Hungarian: higgadt — moderate
  • Hungarian: megfontolt — moderate
  • Italian: sobrio — moderate
  • Japanese: 真面目 (majime) — moderate
  • Norman: sobre — moderate
  • Old English: gedrēoh — moderate
  • Old English: sȳfre — moderate
  • Portuguese: sóbrio — moderate
  • Russian: уме́ренный (umérennyj) — moderate
  • Scottish Gaelic: stuama — moderate
  • Spanish: sobrio — moderate
  • Welsh: sobr — moderate
  • Catalan: sobri — dull
  • Czech: tupý — dull
  • Czech: hloupý — dull
  • Finnish: hillitty — dull
  • French: sobre — dull
  • German: gedeckt — dull
  • Hungarian: tompa — dull
  • Hungarian: fakó — dull
  • Hungarian: matt — dull
  • Norman: sobre — dull
  • Portuguese: sóbrio — dull
  • Russian: нея́ркий (nejárkij) — dull
  • Russian: ту́склый (túsklyj) — dull
  • Spanish: apagado — dull
  • Turkish: hüşyar — dull
  • Turkish: mutedil — dull
  • Turkish: uyanık dikkatli — dull
  • Welsh: sobr — dull
  • Finnish: vakava — subdued; solemn; grave
  • Finnish: vakavamielinen — subdued; solemn; grave
  • Hungarian: komoly — subdued; solemn; grave
  • Māori: nguengue — subdued; solemn; grave
  • Plautdietsch: ieeboa — subdued; solemn; grave
  • Spanish: sobrio — subdued; solemn; grave
  • Welsh: sobr — subdued; solemn; grave
  • Bulgarian: изтрезнявам (iztreznjavam) — make or become sober
  • Chinese Mandarin: 醒酒 (xǐngjiǔ) — make or become sober
  • Czech: vystřízlivět — make or become sober
  • Esperanto: sobrigi — make or become sober
  • Finnish: selvittää — make or become sober
  • German: ernüchtern — make or become sober
  • Hungarian: kijózanít — make or become sober
  • Japanese: 酔いを醒ます (yoi wo samasu) — make or become sober
  • Swedish: nyktra — make or become sober
  • Swedish: nyktra till — make or become sober
  • Czech: vystřízlivět — overcome intoxication
  • Esperanto: sobriĝi — overcome intoxication
  • Finnish: selvitä — overcome intoxication
  • French: cuver — overcome intoxication
  • German: ausnüchtern — overcome intoxication
  • Hungarian: kijózanodik — overcome intoxication
  • Swedish: nyktra — overcome intoxication
  • Swedish: nyktra till — overcome intoxication