SOBERNESS Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

soberness

noun

Definition of soberness

as in intentness

a mental state free of jesting or trifling the unexpected soberness of the class clown at the memorial service was startling

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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.

Recent Examples of soberness Because of the way the director works, emotions tend to be more discussed than felt, although there’s something about Carla’s desperation that pierces through all the soberness. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for soberness

Noun

Petey Halpin almost tagged Jackson for a two-out homer, the ball instead succumbing to gravity near the warning track.

— Zack Meisel, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Specialized software grows from complexity, compliance, data gravity and the need to make expensive organizations more productive.

— George Wells, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Definition of gravity

Noun

Gore is best known for Make America Great Again, her 2016 naked portrait of Trump with the paunch and solemnity of the great men of art history, adding, crucially, the tiniest of compensatory micropenises.

— Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 14 June 2026
As his own self-celebration has fizzled, a void has opened between the scheduled roster of events and the true purpose and meaning of the solemnity of July 4, 2026.

— David Frum, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026

Definition of solemnity

Noun

By May 2026, all 11 of xAI’s original cofounders had departed the company, a cascade that began in earnest in February when Tony Wu, described as one of the most operationally central cofounders, announced his resignation.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Modern viticulture began in earnest here in the 1970s before blossoming in the ’90s.

— Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 June 2026

Definition of earnest

Noun

The existence of these precedents—many of which, not incidentally, involve imperial ambition or climate change—is taken as a credential of their seriousness.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 25 July 2026
Her lawyers argue that the judge wrongly assessed the effect of the posts, underestimated the seriousness of the meanings conveyed and erred in accepting Wilson’s substantial-truth defense.

— Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 24 July 2026

Definition of seriousness

Browse Nearby Words

sober

soberness

sobersided

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“Soberness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soberness. Accessed 1 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of soberness

noun

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