SOBERNESS Synonyms: 48 Similar and Opposite Words

soberness

noun

Definition of soberness

as in intentness

a mental state free of jesting or trifling the unexpected soberness of the class clown at the memorial service was startling

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of soberness Because of the way the director works, emotions tend to be more discussed than felt, although there’s something about Carla’s desperation that pierces through all the soberness. — Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for soberness

Noun

Waugh was a magnificent writer, and his prose has a rare gravity and balance.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
There is no wind on the moon but, with less gravity, debris can travel far after an explosion.

— Selam Gebrekidan, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of gravity

Noun

Elizabeth Strout illustrates a kind man with an endearing earnestness about him who struggles with the fact that the world is not so simple anymore.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
The diaries—particularly in Julian Sachs’s unexpurgated version, which captures Pavese’s alternating earnestness, archness, and pungent vulgarity—pose something of a problem.

— Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of earnestness

Noun

Adding to the solemnity of the occasion was a string quartet that played two slow movements from Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite.

— Peter E. Gordon, The New York Review of Books, 3 Oct. 2026
What’s also obvious from Mel’s photography is the solemnity of these places and the humanity of those living and working within them.

— Stephanie Hanes, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of solemnity

Noun

By May 2026, all 11 of xAI’s original cofounders had departed the company, a cascade that began in earnest in February when Tony Wu, described as one of the most operationally central cofounders, announced his resignation.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 24 June 2026
Modern viticulture began in earnest here in the 1970s before blossoming in the ’90s.

— Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 June 2026

Definition of earnest

Noun

The organizations that treat documentation with the same seriousness as the investigation itself can end up in a stronger position, whatever the outcome.

— Beth Worthy, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
The name of the collection parodies the seriousness of the museum, even as the collection itself is the kind of thing that has traditionally gotten scant attention within actual institutions.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of seriousness

Browse Nearby Words

sober

soberness

sobersided

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“Soberness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soberness. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of soberness

noun

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