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
National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Dedicated to the 184 victims who died at the Pentagon and on American Airlines Flight 77 during the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, the somber National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial features 184 illuminated benches situated among 84 Crepe Myrtle trees.
—Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 3 Dec. 2025
The Florida Panthers' locker room has been a somber place after the past few home games, all of which were losses.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
His often uncompromisingly somber and occasionally very funny narratives weave several threads of American independent music — via assists from the Alchemist, El-P, Conductor Williams, Shabaka Hutchings, and more — into a unified, intricate, and imposing rap tapestry.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
In this show the palette shifted from the artist’s familiar Pepto-Bismol pink to slightly more somber shades, of saffron, eggplant, and rose; the colors had a touch of Bob Thompson about them, blocky flat shapes cohering into apparitions.
—Helen Molesworth, Artforum, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for somber
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Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 3 Dec. 2025
The Florida Panthers' locker room has been a somber place after the past few home games, all of which were losses.
—CBS News, 3 Dec. 2025
His often uncompromisingly somber and occasionally very funny narratives weave several threads of American independent music — via assists from the Alchemist, El-P, Conductor Williams, Shabaka Hutchings, and more — into a unified, intricate, and imposing rap tapestry.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
In this show the palette shifted from the artist’s familiar Pepto-Bismol pink to slightly more somber shades, of saffron, eggplant, and rose; the colors had a touch of Bob Thompson about them, blocky flat shapes cohering into apparitions.
—Helen Molesworth, Artforum, 1 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 8 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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