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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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
Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 17 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for soberness
Noun
-
The interior features upscale amenities, including privacy glass, zero-gravity comfort seats, and dedicated rear entertainment screens.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
-
Scientists think that at the heart of most galaxies lies a black hole, and in M77, its central black hole's intense gravity is pulling gas inward.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Amid the early-spring lightness of the filmmaking, Fukada values softly plainspoken earnestness of emotion, as his repressed, recessive characters learn to listen to their own impulses in the general stillness that surrounds them.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
13 May 2026
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Kapetan’s yearning, intimate voice is still front and center, mixing and modernizing elements of favorites of the aughts like Conor Oberst (his earnestness), Ben Kweller (his wit), and Sufjan Stevens (his beauty).—
Brendan Hay,
SPIN,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For McQuoid, that appears to mean making a film devoid of color, shooting the incoherent fight sequences against murky backdrops, and treating the origin story of secondary protagonist Kitana (Adeline Rudolph) with the solemnity of a biblical reading.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
6 May 2026
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There were plenty of moments of silliness to go along with the solemnity in Tuesday’s show.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
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While the high will hover close to 90 on Monday, the heat could hit in earnest on Tuesday.—
Hali Smith,
Idaho Statesman,
8 May 2026
-
Then the Dodgers’ bats heated up in earnest.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
Noun
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Though soaps were not without their occasional levity, the earnest self-seriousness of their proceedings often prevented them from engaging in self-reflexive critique.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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Beyond the incident’s seriousness, its precedent-setting disclosure is a warning to boards that underestimate or disregard shadow AI risk.—
Noah Barsky,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Soberness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/soberness. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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