Soberer

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Having a greater degree of sobriety or less intoxication than before
2. Displaying an increased state of clarity and restraint from alcohol consumption
3. Being in a condition with reduced effects of alcohol or diminished drunkenness

Etymology: "Soberer" is the comparative form of "sober" in its sense of "less drunk," built by adding the comparative suffix "-er" to the adjective. "Sober" itself comes from Latin "sobrius," meaning temperate or not intoxicated, and reached English through Old French. The comparative is formed in the usual way for short adjectives, so the word's history is essentially that of its base. The source also allows an agent-noun reading of the suffix, where "-er" marks a person or thing that performs an action, but in this word the sense is comparative, a degree of sobriety rather than a person who sobers. That distinction is why the form works as an adjective describing someone less drunk than before or than others.

Synonyms: more serious, more grave

Antonyms: drunk, intoxicated