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Meaning & use

sober person

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌsəʊbə ˈpɜːsn/
US/ˌsoʊbər ˈpɜːrsn/

Meanings

  1. phrasecountable

    Someone who is not drunk and is fully in control of their mind and body.

    Grammar: Used as a countable noun phrase; the plural is 'sober persons' or, more naturally, 'sober people'.

    Patterns

    • a sober person
    • be a sober person
    • stay a sober person

    After two hours of water and coffee, he was finally a sober person again.

    The driver was a sober person, so the police let him continue.

    She wants to be a sober person at every party she attends.

  2. phrasecountable

    Someone who does not drink alcohol at all, especially because they used to have a problem with it.

    Grammar: Often used in health and recovery contexts; contrast with 'a drinker' or 'an alcoholic'.

    Patterns

    • be a sober person
    • become a sober person
    • help someone be a sober person

    He has been a sober person for five years now.

    As a sober person, she always orders sparkling water.

    Living as a sober person in a drinking culture takes real effort.

Word forms

pluralsober people
pluralsober persons

Common combinations

a sober person
A sober person can still make bad decisions.
stay sober
He plans to stay sober through the whole holiday.
completely sober
By midnight she was completely sober and ready to drive.
sober driver
We chose a sober driver before the party started.
become sober
It took him a year to become sober again.

Synonyms and how they differ

teetotaler
A teetotaler never drinks alcohol by choice, while a sober person may simply not be drunk right now.
abstainer
An abstainer formally avoids alcohol; 'sober person' is more everyday and can describe either state.
clean
'Clean' usually refers to drugs, not alcohol, so it fits a different recovery context.

Opposites

drunkintoxicated

Word family

sober adjective
Not drunk; also serious and plain in style.
sobriety noun
The state of being sober or of not drinking alcohol.
soberly adverb
In a serious, calm, or not-drunk way.
soberness noun
The quality of being serious or not drunk.

Commonly confused: sober person or sobering? sober person or somber?

sober person vs sobering

'Sobering' means making you feel serious or shocked, as in 'a sobering thought', not 'not drunk'.

sober person vs somber

'Somber' means dark, sad, or serious in mood; it sounds like 'sober' but has nothing to do with alcohol.

Practice

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