sober
English edit
Etymology edit
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 edit
- enPR: sō'bə(r), IPA(key): /ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈsoʊ.bɚ/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -əʊbə(ɹ)
- Homophone: soba (in non-rhotic accents)
Adjective edit
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.
- Not given to excessive drinking of alcohol.
- Synonym: 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.
- (figurative) Moderate; realistic; serious; not playful; not passionate; cool; self-controlled.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:moderate, Thesaurus:serious
- 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC; reprinted in The Pilgrim’s Progress (The Noel Douglas Replicas), London: Noel Douglas, […], 1928, →OCLC, page 31:
- God help me to watch and to be sober.
- 1681, John Dryden, “The Preface to Ovid’s Epistles”, in Ovid, Ovid’s Epistles, […], 2nd edition, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], →OCLC, page 21:
- [N]o sober man would put himſelf into danger for the Applauſe of ſcaping without 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.
- 1667, John Milton, “(please specify the book number)”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […], →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 edit
Translations edit
not drunk
|
not given to excessive drinking of alcohol
|
moderate
|
dull
|
subdued; solemn; grave
See also edit
Verb edit
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 edit
make or become sober
|
overcome intoxication
|
Anagrams edit
Danish edit
Etymology edit
From French sobre, from Latin sobrius.
Pronunciation edit
- Rhymes: -oːbər
Adjective edit
sober
- sober (in character; moderate; realistic; serious)
Inflection edit
Inflection of sober | |||
---|---|---|---|
Positive | Comparative | Superlative | |
Indefinte common singular | sober | sobrere | sobrest2 |
Indefinite neuter singular | sobert | sobrere | sobrest2 |
Plural | sobre | sobrere | sobrest2 |
Definite attributive1 | sobre | sobrere | sobreste |
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 edit
Etymology edit
From Middle Dutch sober, from Old French sobre, from Latin sōbrius. Doublet of zuiver.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
sober (comparative soberder, superlative soberst)
Declension edit
Inflection of sober | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
uninflected | sober | |||
inflected | sobere | |||
comparative | soberder | |||
positive | comparative | superlative | ||
predicative/adverbial | sober | soberder | het soberst het soberste | |
indefinite | m./f. sing. | sobere | soberdere | soberste |
n. sing. | sober | soberder | soberste | |
plural | sobere | soberdere | soberste | |
definite | sobere | soberdere | soberste | |
partitive | sobers | soberders | — |
Derived terms edit
Swedish edit
Etymology edit
Adjective edit
sober (comparative sobrare, superlative sobrast)
Inflection edit
Inflection of sober | |||
---|---|---|---|
Indefinite | Positive | Comparative | Superlative2 |
Common singular | sober | sobrare | sobrast |
Neuter singular | sobert | sobrare | sobrast |
Plural | sobra | sobrare | sobrast |
Masculine plural3 | sobre | sobrare | sobrast |
Definite | Positive | Comparative | Superlative |
Masculine singular1 | sobre | sobrare | sobraste |
All | sobra | sobrare | sobraste |
1) Only used, optionally, to refer to things whose natural gender is masculine. 2) The indefinite superlative forms are only used in the predicative. 3) Dated or archaic |
References edit
- sober in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- sober in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- sober in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)