# sober
## English
### Etymology

From Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius, from se- (“without”) + ebrius (“intoxicated”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁egʷʰ- (“drink”). In the sense "not drunk," displaced native undrunken, from Old English undruncen.

### Pronunciation

* enPR: sō'bə(r), IPA: /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/
* (General American) IPA: /ˈsoʊ.bɚ/
* Audio (US):(file)
* Rhymes: -əʊbə(ɹ)
* Homophone: soba (non-rhotic)

### Adjective

sober (comparative soberer, superlative soberest)
* Not drunk; not intoxicated.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:sober
    Antonyms: drunk; see also Thesaurus:drunk
* Not under the influence of any recreational drug.
** 2014 October 27, Taylor Swift, Imogen Heap, “Clean (Taylor's Version)”, in 1989 (Taylor's Version)‎, performed by Taylor Swift, published 2023 October 27:Ten months sober, I must admit Just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it
* Not given to excessive drinking of alcohol.
    Synonyms: abstemious, temperate; see also Thesaurus:abstemious
** 1890, John Charles Cox, “The Sober Life”, in The Godly, Righteous, And Sober Life, page 35:Amid all the confusion and disorder that sin has introduced into the world, the Christian in union with God has a grace or Divine help that enables him to live the sober, self-restrained life.
** 2020 December 29, Hilary Sheinbaum, “Finding Love Without Alcohol”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:After eliminating alcohol from their lives, some sober individuals exclusively date nondrinkers.
** (Can we date this quote?), (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎:Rose told me that she's sober.
* (figurative) Moderate; realistic; serious; not playful; not passionate; cool; self-controlled.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:moderate, Thesaurus:temperate
** 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, page 31:God help me to watch and to be sober.
** 1680, John Dryden, “The Preface to Ovid’s Epistles”, in Ovid, Ovid’s Epistles, […], London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC:[N]o ſober man vvould put himſelf into a danger for the Applauſe of ſcaping vvithout breaking his Neck.
** 2005, Plato, translated by Lesley Brown, Sophist, page 230d:Which is the finest and soberest state possible.
* (of color) Dull; not bright or colorful.
    Synonyms: muted, subdued; see also Thesaurus:dim
** 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the page number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:Twilight grey / Had in her sober livery all things clad.
* Subdued; solemn; grave.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:serious
** 1717, Alexander Pope, Letter from Edward Blount, Esq.:See her sober over a sampler, or gay over a jointed baby.
** 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Alma: Or, The Progress of the Mind”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC:What parts gay France from sober Spain? A little rising rocky chain.
* (Scotland) Poor; feeble.

#### Derived terms

* appeal from Philip drunk to Philip sober
* cold sober
* draw a sober breath
* drunk words are sober thoughts
* ensober
* sober as a judge
* sober-curious
* sober down
* soberer
* sober house
* soberize
* sober living house
* soberly
* soberness
* sobersided
* sobersides
* sober space
* sober up
* stone-cold sober
* unsober
* wanton kittens make sober cats

#### See also

* teetotaller

### Verb

sober (third-person singular simple present sobers, present participle sobering, simple past and past participle sobered)
* (often with up) To make or become sober.
** 1711, Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism:There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, / And drinking largely sobers us again.
** 1950 January, David L. Smith, “A Runaway at Beattock”, in Railway Magazine, page 53:The night air may have sobered him a bit by the time they got back to Beattock.
* (often with up) To overcome or lose a state of intoxication.
    It took him hours to sober up.
* To moderate one's feelings; to accept a disappointing reality after losing one's ability to believe in a fantastic goal.
    Losing his job was a sobering experience.

#### Translations
### Anagrams

* Bores, Boers, Serob, Serbo-, Brose, robes, Obers, bores, Boser, brose, Beros

## Danish
### Etymology

From French sobre, from Latin sobrius.

### Pronunciation

* Rhymes: -oːbər

### Adjective

sober
* sober (in character; moderate; realistic; serious)

#### Inflection

$^1$ When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite, the corresponding "indefinite" form is used. $^2$ The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

## Dutch
### Etymology

From Middle Dutch sober, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius. Doublet of zuiver.

### Pronunciation

* Audio:(file)
* Rhymes: -oːbər

### Adjective

sober (comparative soberder, superlative soberst)
* simple, plain, austere
    Synonym: eenvoudig
    Antonym: overdadig
* sober, not drunk
    Synonym: nuchter
    Antonym: dronken

#### Derived terms

* soberheid

## Swedish
### Etymology

From French sobre.

### Adjective

sober (comparative sobrare, superlative sobrast)
* moderate
* stylish, discreetly tasteful

#### Inflection

$^1$ The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. $^2$ Dated or archaic. $^3$ Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine.

### References

* sober in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
* sober in Svensk ordbok (SO)
* sober in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)

### Anagrams

* sobre