Sober — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Sober (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. not having one's mind affected by alcohol

   "it's important to stay sober if you're going to be driving a car"

   similar: clearheaded, straight
   related: abstemious, abstinent, dry, teetotal, temperate, cool, level, steady
   opposite: blasted (slang), blind, blitzed (slang), blotto (slang), bombed, boozy, canned (slang), cockeyed, crocked, drunk, drunken, fried, gassed, hammered (slang), high, inebriate, inebriated, intoxicated, juiced (slang), lit, lit up, loaded (slang), looped, oiled (slang), pickled, pie-eyed, plastered, potted (slang), ripped (slang), sloshed (slang), smashed (slang), sottish, soused, sozzled, squiffed, stewed, stiff, stinking (slang), stoned, tanked (slang), tight, tipsy, wasted (slang), wiped out (slang)
   near: alcoholic, bibulous, crapulous, dipsomaniacal, maudlin, tiddly (chiefly British), befuddled, besotted, dopey, debauched, dissipated, dissolute

2. based on sound reasoning or information

   "a sober assessment of the situation"

   similar: commonsense, commonsensible, commonsensical, firm, good, hard, informed, just, justified, levelheaded, logical, rational, reasonable, reasoned, sensible, solid, valid, well-founded
   related: actual, real, true, certain, sure, certified, validated, verified, confirmed, corroborated, substantiated, cogent, convincing, colorable, credible, plausible
   opposite: groundless, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, nonsensical, nonvalid, unfounded, uninformed, unjustified, unreasonable, unreasoned, unsound
   near: unsubstantiated, unsupported, unwarranted, flimsy, implausible, unconvincing, weak, fallacious, false, misguided, misled

3. not joking or playful in mood or manner

   "a sober reply to what was only a teasing comment"

   similar: earnest, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, po-faced (British), sedate, serious, severe, sobersided, solemn, staid, uncomic, unsmiling, weighty
   related: harsh, stern, strict, businesslike, professional, dignified, distinguished, elevated, serious-minded, gloomy, grim
   opposite: facetious, flip, flippant, humorous, jesting, jocular, joking, kittenish, ludic, playful
   near: antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, hysterical, laughable, light, light-headed, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, goofy, harebrained, lighthearted, puerile, scatterbrained, absurd, asinine, balmy, brainless, cockeyed, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dotty, fatuous, foolish, half-witted, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, unwise, wacky, weak-minded, witless, zany

4. not excessively showy

   "if you don't have anything in black, at least wear a sober outfit to the funeral"

   similar: conservative, low-key, muted, quiet, repressed, restrained, subdued, toned-down, understated, unflashy, unpretentious
   related: appropriate, becoming, fit, fitting, proper, suitable, modest, plain, simple, unadorned, undecorated, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, unobtrusive, graceful, handsome, refined, tasteful, drab, mousy, practical, sensible
   opposite: flamboyant, flaring, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, loud, noisy, ostentatious, razzle-dazzle, splashy, swank
   near: meretricious, graceless, inelegant, tacky, tasteless, tawdry, trashy, vulgar, baroque, fancy, frilly, gilded, ornate, rococo, overdecorated, overdone, overwrought

5. given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites

   "cruise passengers of sober dispositions will be put off by the focus on nonstop dining"

   similar: abstemious, abstentious, abstinent, continent, self-abnegating, self-denying, temperate
   related: ascetic, austere, disciplined, self-controlled, self-disciplined, self-governed
   opposite: self-indulgent
   near: gluttonous, greedy, rapacious, voracious, Cyrenaic, hedonistic, self-pleasing, sensual, sybaritic, voluptuous, voluptuary, masturbatory, onanistic