Sober Meaning
/ˈsəʊ.bə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjNot drunk; not intoxicated.
adjNot under the influence of any recreational drug.
Sentence Examples
Were you sober at that time?
I went for a walk to try to sober up.
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the party, he needed three hours of rest to become ____ again.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He remained calm and ____ even when everyone else around him was panicking during the emergency.
Word Origin & History
Inherited from Middle English sober, 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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Ten months sober, I must admit
Just because you're clean, don't mean you don't miss it"
— 2014 October 27, Taylor Swift, Imogen Heap, “Clean (Taylor's Version)”, in 1989 (Taylor's Version), performed by Taylor Swift, published 27 October 2023:
"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."
— 1890, John Charles Cox, “The Sober Life”, in The Godly, Righteous, And Sober Life, page 35:
"After eliminating alcohol from their lives, some sober individuals exclusively date nondrinkers."
— 2020 December 29, Hilary Sheinbaum, “Finding Love Without Alcohol”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 Feb 2021:
"Rose told me that she's sober."
— (Can we date this quote?), (Please provide the book title or journal name):
"God help me to watch and to be sober."
— 1678, John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress from This World, to That which is to Come: […], London: […] Nath[aniel] Ponder […], →OCLC, page 31:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After the party, he needed three hours of rest to become ____ again.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He remained calm and ____ even when everyone else around him was panicking during the emergency.