somber
[ som-ber ]
adjective
gloomily dark; shadowy; dimly lighted: a somber passageway.
dark and dull, as color, or as things in respect to color: a somber dress.
gloomy, depressing, or dismal: a somber mood.
extremely serious; grave: a somber expression on his face.
Origin of somber
1First recorded in 1750–60; from French, Middle French sombre, probably noun derivative of sombrer (unrecorded) “to make shady,” from Vulgar Latin subumbrāre (unrecorded), from Latin sub- sub- + umbrāre “to cast a shadow” (derivative of umbra “shade, shadow”)
- Also especially British, som·bre .
Other words for somber
Opposites for somber
Other words from somber
- som·ber·ly, adverb
- som·ber·ness, noun
- un·som·ber, adjective
- un·som·ber·ly, adverb
- un·som·ber·ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use somber in a sentence
Uniforms and afternoon toilettes add their tart hues to the sombrer garb of the male civilian.
A Midsummer Drive Through The Pyrenees | Edwin Asa DixHeaven knows it is a sombre one, and it goes on getting sombrer and sombrer!
Much Darker Days | Andrew Lang (AKA A. Huge Longway)La splendeur de la floraison de vie s'teint dans le sang, pour en renatre, pour y sombrer encore.
Aspects and Impressions | Edmund GosseThen, on learning of his father's death, he had put on other things, of sombrer hue.
The Truth About Tristrem Varick | Edgar Saltus
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