variants
or sombre
1
as in darkened
being without light or without much light
the prison's somber interrogation room has the desired effect of striking fear and despair into the prisoner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in solemn
causing or marked by an atmosphere lacking in cheer
the somber occasion of a dear friend's funeral
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of somber
Less than two weeks after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, an Army-Navy football game played in front of a crowd of 102,000 spectators at Philadelphia’s Municipal Stadium on December 7, 1963, might have been a subdued and somber affair.
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Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2024
Back in the locker room and away from the field where the Patriots lost a not-as-close-as-it-sounds 34-15 game, the mood wasn’t somber.
—Chad Graff, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
The show is slow-paced and somber, and Sheridan seems to relish in emphasizing the many ways that pioneers died.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
Dressed in somber black, his wife, Kate, watched on from a balcony of the nearby Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, as is tradition.
—Pan Pylas, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for somber 
Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Dec. 2024
Back in the locker room and away from the field where the Patriots lost a not-as-close-as-it-sounds 34-15 game, the mood wasn’t somber.
—Chad Graff, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
The show is slow-paced and somber, and Sheridan seems to relish in emphasizing the many ways that pioneers died.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 18 Nov. 2024
Dressed in somber black, his wife, Kate, watched on from a balcony of the nearby Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, as is tradition.
—Pan Pylas, Chicago Tribune, 10 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for somber
Recent Examples of Synonyms for somber
Adjective
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These gestures serve as solemn tributes to individuals who have served their communities and country, as well as to the memory of significant historical events.Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
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Finding the cemetery after all this time was exciting but also solemn for Tony Guzzi, chief of preservation and site operations.Travis Loller, Los Angeles Times, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Compared to the original cultivars, the newer cultivars offered a variety of advantages, including sturdiness, longer flowering, earlier flowering, dwarfism, bigger bracts, darker green foliage, and beyond.Norman Ellstrand and Nathan Ellstrand / Made by History, TIME, 23 Dec. 2024
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The cumulus congestus cloud rises dramatically in the image, casting a dark shadow over the landscape below.Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The film, structured around a final, confessional interview given by a dying documentarian (played by Richard Gere) about his life and career, has a funereal mood but a lively cadence.Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
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Halfway through, Boilen casually mentions that her good friend Alan Sparhawk (of the band Low), with whom Lea has a band called the Murder of Crows, will be joining her for two of their songs; their duet is almost funereal, both somber and gorgeous, buoyed by an indomitable optimism.Matthew Ismael Ruiz, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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Still, the fundamental case for adding to the stock is murky.Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Dec. 2024
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How much money the song has earned is murky; the record company wouldn’t talk about it.David Bauder, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Ellie is a smart, lonely girl desperate for a sense of family after the death of her father.Staff, The Christian Science Monitor, 18 Dec. 2024
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My point is, there’s something a bit lonely about the happy endings for many of these characters, and a bit irritating about the idea that being physically close to other people is an experience to be avoided at all costs.Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Concept art revealed at D23 also showed the gang of toys — such as Jessie the yodeling cowgirl (voiced by different actresses) and Rex (Wallace Shawn) — looking sad as their owner seemed more interested in a tablet, hinting at their emotional yet humorous struggles.Angel Saunders, People.com, 28 Dec. 2024
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The post-Christmas blues are about to get a little less sad with the NFL‘s Triple Header games featuring six teams going head to head.Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 27 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near somber
Cite this Entry
“Somber.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/somber. Accessed 4 Jan. 2025.
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