sober

1 not having one's mind affected by alcohol it's important to stay sober if you're going to be driving a car Synonyms clearheaded, straight Related Words abstemious, abstinent, dry, teetotal, temperate; cool, level, steady Near Antonyms alcoholic, bibulous, crapulous, dipsomaniacal; maudlin, tiddly [chiefly British]; befuddled, besotted, dopey (also dopy); debauched, dissipated, dissolute Antonyms blasted [slang], blind, blitzed [slang], blotto [slang], bombed, boozy, canned [slang], cockeyed, crocked, drunk, drunken, fried, gassed, hammered [slang], high, inebriate, inebriated, intoxicated, juiced [slang], lit, lit up, loaded [slang], looped, oiled [slang], pickled, pie-eyed, plastered, potted [slang], ripped [slang], sloshed [slang], smashed [slang], sottish, soused, sozzled, squiffed (or squiffy), stewed, stiff, stinking [slang], stoned, tanked [slang], tight, tipsy, wasted [slang], wiped out [slang]

2 based on sound reasoning or information a sober assessment of the situation Synonyms commonsense, commonsensible, commonsensical, firm, hard, informed, just, justified, levelheaded, logical, rational, reasonable, reasoned, sensible, good, solid, valid, well-foundedRelated Words actual, real, true; certain, sure; certified, validated, verified; confirmed, corroborated, substantiated; cogent, convincing; colorable, credible, plausibleNear Antonyms unsubstantiated, unsupported, unwarranted; flimsy, implausible, unconvincing, weak; fallacious, false, misguided, misledAntonyms groundless, illogical, invalid, irrational, nonrational, nonsensical, nonvalid, unfounded, uninformed, unjustified, unreasonable, unreasoned, unsound

3 not joking or playful in mood or manner a sober reply to what was only a teasing comment Synonyms earnest, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, po-faced [British], sedate, severe, serious, sobersided, solemn, staid, uncomic, unsmiling, weightyRelated Words harsh, stern, strict; businesslike, professional; dignified, distinguished, elevated, serious-minded; gloomy, grimNear Antonyms antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, hysterical (also hysteric), laughable, light, light-headed, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious; featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, goofy, harebrained, lighthearted, puerile, scatterbrained; absurd, asinine, balmy, brainless, cockeyed, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dotty, fatuous, foolish, half-witted, insane, jerky, kooky (also kookie), loony (also looney), lunatic, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, unwise, wacky (also whacky), weak-minded, witless, zanyAntonyms facetious, flip, flippant, humorous, jesting, jocular, joking, kittenish, ludic, playful

4 not excessively showy if you don't have anything in black, at least wear a sober outfit to the funeral Synonyms conservative, low-key (also low-keyed), muted, repressed, restrained, quiet, subdued, toned-down, understated, unflashy, unpretentiousRelated Words appropriate, becoming, fit, fitting, proper, suitable; modest, plain, simple, unadorned, undecorated; inconspicuous, unnoticeable, unobtrusive; graceful, handsome, refined, tasteful; drab, mousy (or mousey); practical, sensibleNear Antonyms meretricious; graceless, inelegant, tacky, tasteless, tawdry, trashy, vulgar; baroque, fancy, frilly, gilded (or gilt), ornate, rococo; overdecorated, overdone, overwroughtAntonyms flamboyant, flaring, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, loud, noisy, ostentatious, razzle-dazzle, splashy, swank (or swanky)

5 given to or marked by restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites cruise passengers of sober dispositions will be put off by the focus on nonstop dining Synonyms abstentious, abstinent, continent, self-abnegating, self-denying, abstemious, temperateRelated Words ascetic (also ascetical), austere; disciplined, self-controlled, self-disciplined, self-governedNear Antonyms gluttonous, greedy, rapacious, voracious; Cyrenaic, hedonistic, self-pleasing, sensual, sybaritic, voluptuous, voluptuary; masturbatory, onanisticAntonyms self-indulgent