SOMBERNESS Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

somberness

noun

Definition of somberness

as in gloominess

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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 somberness In 1848, the landscape architect Andrew Jackson Downing observed that places like Green-Wood and Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston did a better job of alleviating stress than encouraging somberness. — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 14 Apr. 2026 There’s a crepuscular somberness, a feeling of looking back on the perfect day, knowing bliss won’t last forever. — Kiana Mickles, Pitchfork, 17 Feb. 2026 No surprise, then, that this is a fairly respectful rendition, upping the spectacle but staying true to the somberness of Shelley’s cautionary tale. — Tim Grierson, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for somberness

Noun

Colors are accurate and saturated, doing justice to the bright vibrance of Frieren on Crunchyroll on my iPad Air and the dark gloominess of Ball x Pit on my Switch 2 via an adapter.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
His gloominess seemed to make no sense.

— Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025

Definition of gloominess

Noun

They are finally revealed as the head-lamps of a gang of thieves, robbing a church, caught closer up, their faces occasionally emerging from the gloom.

— John Hopewell, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
Inside, we were whisked away to a world of rain and candles and velvet and creepy houses and stormy, witchy gloom.

— Danielle Pergament, Allure, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of gloom

Noun

One acrylic piece plus one strip of 12 percent NDF knocked the display back to just about the perfect dimness, comparable to my existing cheap bedside clock.

— Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2026
Both panels are wrapped by thin bezels and get up to 3500 nits of brightness, but only the Pro screen can drop to 1 nit of dimness (which is easier on the eyes for use in a dark room).

— Ben Sin, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026

Definition of dimness

Noun

From its first painterly images, of the face of Meryl Streep, sad and tender and lovely in the semidarkness, the film declares its artistry, its sensitivity and its theme.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Jan. 2023
Now, in the semidarkness and the throng of guests, all names seem somehow fluid, interchangeable, secondary.

— Olga Tokarczuk, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2021

Definition of semidarkness

Noun

Asco’s work remained in relative obscurity — living in local mythology through storytellers like Ignacio — for decades.

— Laura Zornosa, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Smart city programs in Beijing, Shanghai, and other urban centers use AI to track performance and centralize oversight of local officials who once operated in comfortable obscurity, subjecting them to an algorithmic performance review.

— Seva Gunitsky, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of obscurity

Noun

But the murkiness doesn’t last long in a production that achieves an admirable balance between objectivity and emotion, abstraction and representation.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
Because of the legal murkiness, Pratte urges people to talk to an attorney before foregoing registration.

— Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of murkiness

Browse Nearby Words

somberly

somberness

sombrero

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Cite this Entry

Style

“Somberness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/somberness. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of somberness

noun

Example Sentences

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