We gazed round us at the high, thin window of old stained glass, the oak panelling, the stags’ heads, the coats-of-arms upon the walls, all dim and sombre in the subdued light of the central lamp.
Source: tatoeba (6606629)
Sombre
//ˈsɒmbə//
Synonyms for "sombre" (210 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (42)
Strong matches (63)
Related words (105)
Adjective(78 words)
graygrief-strickengrievinggrievousgrimheartsickheartsoreheavy-heartedhumorlessinconsolableinfelicitousinkyintensejawfallenjokelesslachrymoselamentfullanguidleadenlightless
Show 58 more words
lowlow-spiritedlumpishmaudlinmelancholicmirksomemirthlessmoodymopeymorosemournfulmurksomemurkymutedno jokeobscurepassionateplaintivequeruloussaddenedsagesaturatedsedateseriousshadyshatteredsobersolemncholysolitarysombroussorrow-riddensorrowfulsorrowsomestaidsternstygianswarthysweertenebrousthoughtfulthreneticthreneticaltristetristfultwilightishumbrageousunconsolableunilluminatedunlivelyunmerryunmirthfulweightsomeweightywintrywistfulwoewoebegonewretched
Adjective(3 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Synonyms
5 entriesderived
6 entriesdistinct from
1 entriesrelated to
9 entriessimilar
6 entriesTranslations
93 translations across 24 languages.
Armenian
1 entries- մռայլ adj (dull or dark in colour)
Bulgarian
4 entries- мрачен adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- сериозен adj (grave)
- тъмен adj (dull or dark in colour)
- унил adj (melancholic; dismal)
Catalan
1 entries- ombrívol adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
Chinese Mandarin
2 entries- 陰沉 /阴沉 adj (melancholic; dismal)
- 陰鬱 /阴郁 adj (melancholic; dismal)
Czech
4 entries- chmurný adj (melancholic; dismal)
- stinný adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- temný adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- temný adj (dull or dark in colour)
Dutch
1 entries- somber adj (melancholic; dismal)
Esperanto
1 entries- serioza adj (grave)
Finnish
4 entries- ankea adj (melancholic; dismal)
- pimeä adj (dull or dark in colour)
- synkkä adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- synkkä adj (dull or dark in colour)
French
4 entries- sombre adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- sombre adj (dull or dark in colour)
- sombre adj (melancholic; dismal)
- sombre adj (grave)
Galician
2 entries- sombrío adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- sombrío adj (melancholic; dismal)
German
4 entries- dunkel adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- dunkel adj (dull or dark in colour)
- dunkel adj (dull or dark in colour)
- düster adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
Hebrew
2 entries- נוּגֶה adj (melancholic; dismal)
- קוֹדֵר adj (dull or dark in colour)
Hungarian
4 entries- komoly adj (grave)
- komor adj (dull or dark in colour)
- komor adj (melancholic; dismal)
- mogorva adj (melancholic; dismal)
Japanese
2 entries- 薄暗い adj (melancholic; dismal)
- 重苦しい adj (melancholic; dismal)
Māori
3 entries- pōuriuri adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- pōuriuri adj (dull or dark in colour)
- whakapoururu adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
Norman
1 entries- sombre adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
Persian
1 entries- تاریک، محزون adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
Plautdietsch
2 entries- dunkel adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- dunkel adj (dull or dark in colour)
Polish
2 entries- ponury adj (melancholic; dismal)
- posępny adj (melancholic; dismal)
Portuguese
4 entries- escuro adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- escuro adj (dull or dark in colour)
- lúgubre adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- sombrio adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
Russian
4 entries- мра́чный adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- мра́чный adj (dull or dark in colour)
- мра́чный adj (melancholic; dismal)
- непростой adj (grave)
Scottish Gaelic
1 entries- gruamach adj (melancholic; dismal)
Spanish
4 entries- grave adj (grave)
- sombrío adj (dark; gloomy, dimly lit)
- sombrío adj (dull or dark in colour)
- sombrío adj (melancholic; dismal)
Swedish
1 entries- dyster adj (melancholic; dismal)
Sample sentences
15 total sentences available.
With tingling nerves, but a fixed purpose, I sat in the dark recess of the hut and waited with sombre patience for the coming of its tenant.
Source: tatoeba (6620632)
The light was more and more sombre, but there came a flash of lightning which made them start and look at each other, and then smile.
Source: tatoeba (6888704)
I remained in the study, turning the whole matter over and over in my head, and feeling as sombre as ever I had done in my life. What was the past of this Trevor, pugilist, traveller, and gold-digger, and how had he placed himself in the power of this acid-faced seaman?
Source: tatoeba (6981763)
Showing 4 of 15 available sentences.
Keep exploring
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.