SOBRIETY Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

sobriety

noun

sə-ˈbrī-ə-tē

Definition of sobriety

as in intentness

a mental state free of jesting or trifling an abrupt sobriety fell over the group when they heard the news

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in temperance

voluntary restraint in the satisfaction of one's appetites although she can afford to wear anything, she practices a sartorial sobriety that bespeaks class and taste

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 sobriety Micron still trading 15% below its June peak and Nvidia sitting at such a steep discount to the market P/E and that of defensive, capex-light Apple, suggest a level of sobriety that – all else equal – could mean that some risk has been drained away. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 6 Oct. 2026 The Grammy Award-winning singer will hit the road for the Everything Begins Tour in April, marking her first North American tour since a brief retreat from the public eye to focus on her sobriety and newfound fame. — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2026 Drinking less is becoming more common, and the social rules around sobriety are still catching up. — Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 After performing poorly on field sobriety tests, he was taken into custody. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sobriety

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sobriety

Noun

Targeting equipment essential to the preservation of fresh products and to the food supply of the French people is of extreme gravity and is unprecedented.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
The smaller probe will then head toward the asteroid's surface, a descent that should take two to three hours depending on 269 Justitia's precise gravity, which remains unknown.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of gravity

Noun

As the temperance movement grew, the Besley Brewery attempted to change with the times, but was later sold around 1912.

— Joseph States, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
Founded in 1961 by a puppeteer who acquired a former Victorian temperance hall damaged during the Blitz of World War II, the theater holds one of the world’s last remaining double marionette bridges, suitable for long-string puppets.

— Kelly Kasulis Cho, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of temperance

Noun

Karen is newly sober, newly released, and seemingly determined to approach this chapter of her life with an earnestness that the rest of the cast may not be emotionally equipped to accommodate.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
Elizabeth Strout illustrates a kind man with an endearing earnestness about him who struggles with the fact that the world is not so simple anymore.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of earnestness

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