sobering

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adjective

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.”

Similar
serious
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

adjective
  1. 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.

    1 more example

    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.

    2011 October 29, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 3 - 5 Arsenal”, in BBC Sport
verb
  1. gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of sober

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectivetending to make sober or more serious

Similar
serious

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Spanish enseriante, aseriante
  • enserianteTranslations
  • aserianteTranslations
  • espabilanteTranslations

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

GisborneGiberson
Cite this entry
APA

sobering. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sobering

MLA

“sobering.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sobering. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sobering,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sobering.

Source: sobering on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.