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Somber vs Sobering - What's the difference?

somber | sobering |

As adjectives the difference between somber and sobering

is that somber is dark or dreary in character; joyless, and grim while sobering is causing more sober thought or concern.

As verbs the difference between somber and sobering

is that somber is alternative form of lang=en while sobering is present participle of lang=en.

somber

English

Alternative forms

* (Commonwealth English) sombre

Adjective

(er)
  • Dark or dreary in character; joyless, and grim.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=2002 , author=Dirk Wittenborn , title=Fierce People , passage=My mother prepared herself for the evening with the same somber deliberateness of the gladiators in Spartacus .}}
  • Dark, lacking color or brightness.

    • Synonyms

    * melancholy, unhappy, sad

    Verb

    (en verb)

    • References

    * *

    Anagrams

    * ----

    sobering

    English

    Adjective

    (head)
  • Causing more sober thought or concern.
    • It was a sobering thought that I had almost killed myself. That was something I wouldn't soon do on purpose again.
  • * {{quote-news
    • , year=2011 , date=October 29 , author=Phil McNulty , title=Chelsea 3 - 5 Arsenal , work=BBC Sport citation , page= , passage=For Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas, this was his most sobering moment in the Premier League and he looked stunned on the sidelines at the regularity with which Chelsea's defence was exposed.}}

    Verb

    (head)