"somber" meaning in All languages combined

See somber on Wiktionary

Adjective [Dutch]

Audio: Nl-somber.ogg
Etymology: 16th century. From Middle French sombre. Etymology templates: {{bor|nl|frm|sombre}} Middle French sombre Head templates: {{nl-adj}} somber (comparative somberder, superlative somberst) Inflection templates: {{nl-decl-adj}} Forms: somberder [comparative], somberst [superlative], no-table-tags [table-tags], somber [adverbial, positive, predicative], somberder [adverbial, comparative, predicative], het somberst [adverbial, predicative, superlative], het somberste [adverbial, predicative, superlative], sombere [feminine, indefinite, masculine, positive, singular], somberdere [comparative, feminine, indefinite, masculine, singular], somberste [feminine, indefinite, masculine, singular, superlative], somber [indefinite, neuter, positive, singular], somberder [comparative, indefinite, neuter, singular], somberste [indefinite, neuter, singular, superlative], sombere [indefinite, plural, positive], somberdere [comparative, indefinite, plural], somberste [indefinite, plural, superlative], sombere [definite, positive], somberdere [comparative, definite], somberste [definite, superlative], sombers [partitive, positive], somberders [comparative, partitive], - [partitive, superlative]
  1. somber (US), sombre (Commonwealth) Derived forms: somberaar, somberen, somberheid, sombermans
    Sense id: en-somber-nl-adj-lcXWjcM2 Categories (other): Dutch entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries

Adjective [English]

IPA: /ˈsɑmbɚ/ [General-American], /ˈsɒmbə/ [Received-Pronunciation] Audio: En-us-somber.ogg [US] Forms: somberer [comparative], somberest [superlative]
Head templates: {{en-adj|er}} somber (comparative somberer, superlative somberest)
  1. US standard spelling of sombre. Tags: US, alt-of, standard Alternative form of: sombre Derived forms: somberish, somberly, somberness, sombersome, unsomber
    Sense id: en-somber-en-adj-yaAN9cv0 Categories (other): American English, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 2 entries, Pages with entries, Emotions, Sadness Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 62 38 Disambiguation of Pages with 2 entries: 68 32 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 74 26 Disambiguation of Emotions: 94 6 Disambiguation of Sadness: 78 22

Verb [English]

IPA: /ˈsɑmbɚ/ [General-American], /ˈsɒmbə/ [Received-Pronunciation] Audio: En-us-somber.ogg [US] Forms: sombers [present, singular, third-person], sombering [participle, present], sombered [participle, past], sombered [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb}} somber (third-person singular simple present sombers, present participle sombering, simple past and past participle sombered)
  1. US standard spelling of sombre. Tags: US, alt-of, standard Alternative form of: sombre
    Sense id: en-somber-en-verb-yaAN9cv0 Categories (other): American English

Inflected forms

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "somberer",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "er"
      },
      "expansion": "somber (comparative somberer, superlative somberest)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "sombre"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "62 38",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "68 32",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 2 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "74 26",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "94 6",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Emotions",
          "orig": "en:Emotions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "78 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Sadness",
          "orig": "en:Sadness",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "somberish"
        },
        {
          "word": "somberly"
        },
        {
          "word": "somberness"
        },
        {
          "word": "sombersome"
        },
        {
          "word": "unsomber"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              17,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1980, Earth, Wind & Fire, “Turn It Into Something Good”, in Faces:",
          "text": "In your eyes the somber blues / Reflect a place from deep inside of knowing not what to do / I'll be your rock, when you're 'bout to fall / Together, we'll move on ahead and walk right through it all",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              57,
              63
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2002, Dirk Wittenborn, Fierce People:",
          "text": "My mother prepared herself for the evening with the same somber deliberateness of the gladiators in Spartacus.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              27,
              33
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2019 October 1, Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot, Heather Webb, Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution's Women, HarperCollins, →ISBN:",
          "text": "Though I wore only a plain somber gray Brunswick gown unadorned by ribbon or lace, and my uncle was dressed in black, the people knew aristocrats on sight.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "US standard spelling of sombre."
      ],
      "id": "en-somber-en-adj-yaAN9cv0",
      "links": [
        [
          "sombre",
          "sombre#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "alt-of",
        "standard"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɑmbɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɒmbə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-somber.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3d/En-us-somber.ogg/En-us-somber.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/En-us-somber.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "somber"
}

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sombers",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombering",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombered",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "somber (third-person singular simple present sombers, present participle sombering, simple past and past participle sombered)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "sombre"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "US standard spelling of sombre."
      ],
      "id": "en-somber-en-verb-yaAN9cv0",
      "links": [
        [
          "sombre",
          "sombre#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "alt-of",
        "standard"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɑmbɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɒmbə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-somber.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3d/En-us-somber.ogg/En-us-somber.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/En-us-somber.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "somber"
}

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "sombre"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French sombre",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "16th century. From Middle French sombre.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "somberder",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberst",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "no-table-tags",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "table-tags"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "nl-decl-adj",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "inflection-template"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somber",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "adverbial",
        "positive",
        "predicative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberder",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "adverbial",
        "comparative",
        "predicative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "het somberst",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "adverbial",
        "predicative",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "het somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "adverbial",
        "predicative",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "indefinite",
        "masculine",
        "positive",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberdere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "feminine",
        "indefinite",
        "masculine",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "indefinite",
        "masculine",
        "singular",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somber",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "indefinite",
        "neuter",
        "positive",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberder",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "indefinite",
        "neuter",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "indefinite",
        "neuter",
        "singular",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "indefinite",
        "plural",
        "positive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberdere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "indefinite",
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "indefinite",
        "plural",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "definite",
        "positive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberdere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "definite"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "definite",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombers",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "partitive",
        "positive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberders",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "partitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "partitive",
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "somber (comparative somberder, superlative somberst)",
      "name": "nl-adj"
    }
  ],
  "inflection_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "name": "nl-decl-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Dutch",
  "lang_code": "nl",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Dutch entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 2 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "somberaar"
        },
        {
          "word": "somberen"
        },
        {
          "word": "somberheid"
        },
        {
          "word": "sombermans"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "somber (US), sombre (Commonwealth)"
      ],
      "id": "en-somber-nl-adj-lcXWjcM2",
      "links": [
        [
          "somber",
          "somber#English"
        ],
        [
          "sombre",
          "sombre"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "Nl-somber.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/5c/Nl-somber.ogg/Nl-somber.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Nl-somber.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "somber"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "somberaar"
    },
    {
      "word": "somberen"
    },
    {
      "word": "somberheid"
    },
    {
      "word": "sombermans"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "sombre"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French sombre",
      "name": "bor"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "16th century. From Middle French sombre.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "somberder",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberst",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "no-table-tags",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "table-tags"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "nl-decl-adj",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "inflection-template"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somber",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "adverbial",
        "positive",
        "predicative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberder",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "adverbial",
        "comparative",
        "predicative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "het somberst",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "adverbial",
        "predicative",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "het somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "adverbial",
        "predicative",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "indefinite",
        "masculine",
        "positive",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberdere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "feminine",
        "indefinite",
        "masculine",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "feminine",
        "indefinite",
        "masculine",
        "singular",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somber",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "indefinite",
        "neuter",
        "positive",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberder",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "indefinite",
        "neuter",
        "singular"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "indefinite",
        "neuter",
        "singular",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "indefinite",
        "plural",
        "positive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberdere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "indefinite",
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "indefinite",
        "plural",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "definite",
        "positive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberdere",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "definite"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberste",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "definite",
        "superlative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombers",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "partitive",
        "positive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberders",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "comparative",
        "partitive"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "-",
      "source": "declension",
      "tags": [
        "partitive",
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "somber (comparative somberder, superlative somberst)",
      "name": "nl-adj"
    }
  ],
  "inflection_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "name": "nl-decl-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Dutch",
  "lang_code": "nl",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "Dutch adjectives",
        "Dutch entries with incorrect language header",
        "Dutch lemmas",
        "Dutch terms borrowed from Middle French",
        "Dutch terms derived from Middle French",
        "Pages with 2 entries",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "somber (US), sombre (Commonwealth)"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "somber",
          "somber#English"
        ],
        [
          "sombre",
          "sombre"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "Nl-somber.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/5/5c/Nl-somber.ogg/Nl-somber.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Nl-somber.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "somber"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Emotions",
    "en:Sadness"
  ],
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "somberish"
    },
    {
      "word": "somberly"
    },
    {
      "word": "somberness"
    },
    {
      "word": "sombersome"
    },
    {
      "word": "unsomber"
    }
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "somberer",
      "tags": [
        "comparative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "somberest",
      "tags": [
        "superlative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "er"
      },
      "expansion": "somber (comparative somberer, superlative somberest)",
      "name": "en-adj"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "adj",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "sombre"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              17,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1980, Earth, Wind & Fire, “Turn It Into Something Good”, in Faces:",
          "text": "In your eyes the somber blues / Reflect a place from deep inside of knowing not what to do / I'll be your rock, when you're 'bout to fall / Together, we'll move on ahead and walk right through it all",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              57,
              63
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2002, Dirk Wittenborn, Fierce People:",
          "text": "My mother prepared herself for the evening with the same somber deliberateness of the gladiators in Spartacus.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              27,
              33
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "2019 October 1, Kate Quinn, Stephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie, E. Knight, Sophie Perinot, Heather Webb, Ribbons of Scarlet: A Novel of the French Revolution's Women, HarperCollins, →ISBN:",
          "text": "Though I wore only a plain somber gray Brunswick gown unadorned by ribbon or lace, and my uncle was dressed in black, the people knew aristocrats on sight.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "US standard spelling of sombre."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sombre",
          "sombre#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "alt-of",
        "standard"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɑmbɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɒmbə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-somber.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3d/En-us-somber.ogg/En-us-somber.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/En-us-somber.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "somber"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English adjectives",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 2 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "en:Emotions",
    "en:Sadness"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "sombers",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombering",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombered",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "sombered",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {},
      "expansion": "somber (third-person singular simple present sombers, present participle sombering, simple past and past participle sombered)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "sombre"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "American English"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "US standard spelling of sombre."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sombre",
          "sombre#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "alt-of",
        "standard"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɑmbɚ/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈsɒmbə/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-somber.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/3d/En-us-somber.ogg/En-us-somber.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/En-us-somber.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "somber"
}

Download raw JSONL data for somber meaning in All languages combined (6.6kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-09-20 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-09-02 using wiktextract (d6fca27 and 65e1673). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.