sober.

1. Not under the intoxicating effects of alcohol or drugs.

2. Serious, measured, or subdued rather than exuberant.

3. To become or make someone less intoxicated or more serious.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• remain sober
• sober driver

On the page

He remained sober throughout the long celebration.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more sober; superlative most sober when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: character, description. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: sobers.