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Definition of sober


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so·ber  audio  (sbr) KEY  

ADJECTIVE:
so·ber·er , so·ber·est
  1. Habitually abstemious in the use of alcoholic liquors or drugs; temperate.
  2. Not intoxicated or affected by the use of drugs.
  3. Plain or subdued: sober attire.
  4. Devoid of frivolity, excess, exaggeration, or speculative imagination; straightforward: gave a sober assessment of the situation.
  5. Marked by seriousness, gravity, or solemnity of conduct or character. See Synonyms at serious.
  6. Marked by circumspection and self-restraint.
tr. & intr.v.
so·bered , so·ber·ing , so·bers
To make or become sober.

ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English, from Old French sobre, from Latin sbrius; see s(w)e- in Indo-European roots

OTHER FORMS:
sober·ly (Adverb), sober·ness (Noun)


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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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