variants
or sombre
1
: so shaded as to be dark and gloomy
2
b
: of a dismal or depressing character : melancholy
c
: conveying gloomy suggestions or ideas
3
: of a dull or heavy cast or shade : dark colored
somberly
adverb
somberness
noun
Synonyms
Examples of somber in a Sentence
Looking out at his audience, a somber mass of monks, Gregory gave Mary a new identity that would shape her image for fourteen hundred years.
—
Jonathan Darman, Newsweek, 29 May 2006
This year marks a somber anniversary—it was 150 years ago that humans wiped out the last survivors of this species. A relative of the razorbills and puffins, and about the size of a small goose, the great auk was black-bodied with a white underbelly, and walked erect, like a penguin.
—Bill Montevecchi, Natural History, August 1994
The purple darkness was filled with men who lectured and jabbered. Sometimes he could see them gesticulating against the blue and somber sky.
—Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage, 1895
Her death put us in a somber mood.
The movie is a somber portrait of life on the streets.
He wore a somber suit.
Jonathan Darman, Newsweek, 29 May 2006
This year marks a somber anniversary—it was 150 years ago that humans wiped out the last survivors of this species. A relative of the razorbills and puffins, and about the size of a small goose, the great auk was black-bodied with a white underbelly, and walked erect, like a penguin.
—Bill Montevecchi, Natural History, August 1994
The purple darkness was filled with men who lectured and jabbered. Sometimes he could see them gesticulating against the blue and somber sky.
—Stephen Crane, The Red Badge of Courage, 1895
Her death put us in a somber mood.
The movie is a somber portrait of life on the streets.
He wore a somber suit.
Recent Examples on the Web
After running a somber ad in the 2024 Super Bowl aimed at fighting hate and bigotry, the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism tapped Snoop Dogg and Tom Brady in a spot that had the celebrities squaring off against one another, ticking off reasons why people don’t like one another.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025
The mood within Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar, where the awards took place, was relatively somber with each win for the Netflix musical.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2025
But as their friendship blossoms and becomes complicated by Dennis’s attraction to Roman, the story transforms, too, revealing one twist after another, each more somber yet strangely delightful than the previous.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
Though there were also a number of black ensembles, the fashion, for the most part, was less somber.
—The Styles Desk, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for somber 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 10 Feb. 2025
The mood within Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar, where the awards took place, was relatively somber with each win for the Netflix musical.
—Hilary Lewis, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2025
But as their friendship blossoms and becomes complicated by Dennis’s attraction to Roman, the story transforms, too, revealing one twist after another, each more somber yet strangely delightful than the previous.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 7 Feb. 2025
Though there were also a number of black ensembles, the fashion, for the most part, was less somber.
—The Styles Desk, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for somber
Dictionary Entries Near somber
Cite this Entry
“Somber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/somber. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
somber
adjective
som·ber
variants
or sombre
1
: so shaded as to be dark and gloomy
2
: melancholy entry 2 sense 1, grave
a somber mood
3
: dull or dark colored
somberly
adverb
somberness
noun
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share