lexicow

somber

/ˈsɑːmbər//ˈsɒmbə/·adjective
I watch the rain come down grey over an empty street, where the one lamp still burning holds a small warm circle on the wet stones and a lone figure waits under an umbrella without moving. Nothing here is black — the light stays on — the colour has just been drawn out of everything and the whole evening kept low. I lower my own voice without deciding to, and wait there in the wet beside them.
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Definition

Somber describes a mood or scene drained of brightness — grave, subdued, quietly sorrowful. It works on the eye and the heart at once: somber colours are dark and muted, while a somber expression or occasion is solemn, weighed down by seriousness. The word reaches English through French from a Latin sense of being 'under shadow'. It rarely means cheerless to the point of despair; rather, it is the hush of a grey afternoon or the gravity of a farewell. British English spells it sombre.

Examples

  • A somber, profound silence fell over the hall as the verdict was read out.
  • The documentary's somber tone made its cheerful soundtrack feel wildly out of place.
  • She wore somber colours to the memorial, nothing bright or loud.

Collocations

a somber mood·a somber tone·somber colours·a somber occasion·strike a somber note

Synonyms

gloomy·grave·solemn·subdued·melancholy

Antonyms

cheerful·vivid·bright

Word family

somberly (adverb)·somberness (noun)

In TOEFL & IELTS

A high-band descriptive adjective for tone in literature and film, useful in Speaking and in essays about mood. Note the spelling split — somber (US) versus sombre (UK) — and don't confuse it with sober, which is close in sound and partly in sense ('serious') but also means 'not drunk'. It contrasts neatly with vivid when describing colour.