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
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
At the end of a long meeting teeming with somber conversations about the district’s budget crisis, several trustees unleashed their frustrations with the charter.
—Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 19 Dec. 2025
The somber feelings of loss and disbelief permeates Brown University's campus two days after a gunman killed two students and wounded nine others.
—Paul Burton, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Travis Kelce took a long, somber walk back to the locker room on Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention and lost Patrick Mahomes for the season.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 16 Dec. 2025
Barely three miles away, in a neighborhood called Sandtown-Winchester, the mood is more somber.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for somber
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Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 19 Dec. 2025
The somber feelings of loss and disbelief permeates Brown University's campus two days after a gunman killed two students and wounded nine others.
—Paul Burton, CBS News, 16 Dec. 2025
Travis Kelce took a long, somber walk back to the locker room on Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs were eliminated from playoff contention and lost Patrick Mahomes for the season.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 16 Dec. 2025
Barely three miles away, in a neighborhood called Sandtown-Winchester, the mood is more somber.
—Andrea Riquier, USA Today, 13 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for somber
Cite this Entry
“Somber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/somber. Accessed 23 Dec. 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
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