sober

See also sõber

English

Etymology

From Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius (“without wine”), from se- (“without”) + ebrius (“intoxicated”), of unknown origin.

Pronunciation

• enPR: sō'bə(r), IPA: /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/, X-SAMPA: /"s@Ub@(r\)/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

  Rhymes: -əʊbə(r)

Adjective

sober (comparative soberer, superlative soberest)

1. not drunk; not intoxicated
2. not given to excessive drinking of alcohol;
3. in character; moderate; realistic; serious; not playful; not passionate; cool; self-controlled
   • 2005, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. 230d.

     Which is the finest and soberest state possible.

4. dull; not bright or colorful;

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:sober
• See also Wikisaurus:serious
• See also Wikisaurus:moderate

Antonyms

• (not drunk): drunk

Related terms

• sobriety
• sober as a judge

Translations

not drunk

• Armenian: սթափ (hy) (st’ap’) 
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 清醒 (cmn) (qīngxǐng), 冷靜 (cmn), 冷静 (cmn) (lěngjìng)

• Czech: střízlivý (cs) m
• Danish: ædru (da)
• Dutch: nuchter (nl)
• Finnish: selvinpäin (fi), raitis (fi)
• French: sobre (fr)
• German: nüchtern (de)
• Greek: νηφάλιος (el) (nifálios) m 
• Hungarian: józan (hu)

• Japanese: シラフ (ja) (shirafu)
• Jèrriais: sobre m and f
• Luxembourgish: eniichter (lb)
• Norwegian: edru (no)
• Polish: trzeźwy
• Portuguese: sóbrio (pt)
• Russian: трезвый (ru) (trézvyj) 
• Scottish Gaelic: sòbair (gd), stuama (gd)
• Spanish: sobrio (es), sereno (es)
• Swedish: nykter (sv)

not given to excessive drinking of alcohol

• Danish: ædruelig (da)
• Dutch: nuchter (nl)
• Finnish: raitis (fi)
• French: sobre (fr)

• Greek: εγκρατής (el) (egkratís) m 
• Jèrriais: sobre m and f
• Portuguese: sóbrio (pt)
• Scottish Gaelic: sòbair (gd), stuama (gd)

moderate

• Czech: střízlivý (cs) m
• Danish: sober (da)
• Finnish: hillitty (fi)
• French: sobre (fr)
• German: besonnen (de), ernst (de)
• Greek: νηφάλιος (el) (nifálios) m , μετρημένος (el) (metriménos) m 

• Japanese: 真面目 (ja) (majime)
• Jèrriais: sobre m and f
• Portuguese: sóbrio (pt)
• Russian: умеренный (umérennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: stuama (gd)

dull

• Finnish: hillitty (fi)
• French: sobre (fr)
• German: gedeckt (of colours)
• Jèrriais: sobre m and f

• Portuguese: sóbrio (pt)
• Russian: неяркий (ru) (nejárkij) , тусклый (ru) (túsklyj) 
• Turkish: hüşyar, mutedil, uyanık dikkatli

See also

• teetotaller

Verb

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.
   • Alexander Pope

     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.

Translations

make or become sober

• German: ernüchtern (de)
• Japanese: 酔いを醒ます (ja) (yoi wo samasu)

• Swedish: nyktra (sv), nyktra till (sv)

overcome intoxication

• French: cuver (fr)
• German: ausnüchtern

• Swedish: nyktra (sv), nyktra till (sv)

Anagrams

• Boers, bores, Brose, brose, robes

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Danish

Etymology

From French sobre, from Latin sobrius.

Adjective

sober (neuter sobert, definite and plural sobre, comparative sobrere, superlative sobrest)

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

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Dutch

Adjective

sober (comparative soberder, superlative soberst)

1. simple, plain, austere

Declension

Declension of sober

		positive	comparative	superlative
				attributive	predicative/adverbial
predicative/adverbial		sober	soberder
neuter singular	indefinite	sober	soberder
	definite	sobere	soberdere	soberste	soberst, soberste
common singular		sobere	soberdere	soberste	soberste
plural		sobere	soberdere	soberste	soberste
partitive		sobers	soberders

Synonyms

• eenvoudig

Antonyms

• overdadig