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Definition
serious and without cheer — perhaps even gloomyor:
lacking brightness or color
- Before she said anything, I knew it was bad news from her somber face.
somber = grave or gloomy
- She wore a somber black dress to the funeral.
- a somber mood
- the somber tones of Barber's Adagio for Strings
- He noticed Ralph's scarred nakedness, and the sombre silence of all four of them.William Golding -- Lord of the Flies
- Which is not to say that nothing broke into this strict and somber way of life.Arthur Miller -- The Crucible
- The friends looked out at us with the tragic eyes and short upper lips of southeastern Europe, and I was glad that the sight of Gatsby's splendid car was included in their sombre holiday.F. Scott Fitzgerald -- The Great Gatsby
- The entire community had performed the Ceremony of Loss together, murmuring the name Caleb throughout an entire day, less and less frequently, softer in volume, as the long and somber day went on, so that the little Four seemed to fade away gradually from everyone's consciousness.Lois Lowry -- The Giver
- CHARLEY and BERNARD, somberly dressed, appear and knock on the kitchen door.Arthur Miller -- Death of a Salesman
- "I came as soon as I could," the vampire said somberly, turning my head gently to the left and right, examining the damage.Darren Shan -- A Vampire's Assistant
- No one said much, the mood somber and grim.James Dashner -- The Maze Runner
- Dumbledore came in, looking very somber.J.K. Rowling -- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Ismael Munoz, dark and somber, watching people come aboard.Don DeLillo -- Underworld
- He sounded unhappy, and there was a somber look on his face.Chaim Potok -- The Chosen
- Until you see his eyes you think he's somber, even mean, but he has the most thoughtful and gentle brown eyes.Alice Walker -- The Color Purple
- Straight, somber and impersonal, he entered the actress's room and stood waiting.Thornton Wilder -- The Bridge of San Luis Rey
- The background was somber—almost black.Joseph Conrad -- Heart of Darkness
- They both looked so plain and somber compared to Mo Rhodes and her loud-colored pillows and sparkly wall hangings in Oriental designs.Jill McCorkle -- Ferris Beach
- to sit and wait for our own deaths with proper somber facesAmy Tan -- The Joy Luck Club
- Roger, sitting on the very edge of the cliff, looked somberly back at the island as he worked with his fingers at a loose tooth.William Golding -- Lord of the Flies
sombre = solemn (serious and cheerless)
(editor's note: This is a British spelling. Americans use somber.)
somber = serious and without cheer
sombre = cheerless
(editor's note: This is a British spelling. Americans use somber.)
somber = sad
somberly = grave or even gloomy in character; or lacking brightness or color
somberly = gravely
somber = serious and without cheer — perhaps even gloomy
somber = grave or gloomy
somber = grave or gloomy in character
somber = grave or even gloomy
somber = grave or even gloomy in character
somber = grave or even gloomy in character
somber = lacking brightness
somber = dull (lacking brightness or color)
somber = grave or gloomy
somberly = solemnly (in a serious mood—not cheerful or lighthearted)