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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
- 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
- He sounded unhappy, and there was a somber look on his face.Chaim Potok -- The Chosen
- Ismael Munoz, dark and somber, watching people come aboard.Don DeLillo -- Underworld
- 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
- "There has been far too much dying in these hills," Sadhar Khan said, somberly.Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin -- Three Cups of Tea
- As the sombre wheels of the six carts go round, they seem to plough up a long crooked furrow among the populace in the streets.Charles Dickens -- A Tale of Two Cities
- But before anyone could say anything else, the somber-sounding pipe organ filled the room.Sara Shepard -- Pretty Little Liars
- There was a somber graduation ceremony the following week at neighboring Motton Academy, but there were only fifty-two Seniors left to graduate.Stephen King -- Carrie
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 even gloomy
somber = grave or gloomy in character
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
(editor's note: This is a British spelling. Americans use somber.)