From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsombresom‧bre British English, somber American English /ˈsɒmbə $ ˈsɑːmbər/ adjective 1 SERIOUS PERSONsad and serious SYN grave They sat in sombre silence. We were all in a somber mood that night. a sombre expression on the sombre occasion of his mother’s funeral► see thesaurus at serious2 CCCOLOUR/COLORdark and without any bright colours a sombre grey suit —sombrely adverb —sombreness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
sombre• The sun was shining brightly, but the mood was sombre.• The procession was one of sombre colours, khaki and air force blue predominating.• If the outcome of this sombre, lovingly detailed film is unsurprising, its emotional power is undeniable.• In the Allegretto the music begins in the sombre low register and gradually rises through the octaves.• In the sombre main chamber where most of his days were spent, there was no decoration, no contrasting texture.• In sombre silence, wearing black ties, the Calvinist elders walk between the unusually-full pews. 