What does sobber mean?
A sobber is, literally, someone who sobs. In older usage, however, the word could refer to a person hired or appointed to mourn ceremonially, often leading or participating in the weeping at a funeral. The modern sense remains understandable but is uncommon, while the professional sense has an archaic and literary flavour. A sobber could therefore be an ordinary person overcome by grief, a conspicuously frequent weeper, or—in historical contexts—a specialist mourner whose weeping formed part of a public ritual. The word should not be confused with sober, which describes seriousness or the absence of intoxication. Although it appears naturally in discussions of mourning and funeral customs, sobber is primarily a historical curiosity and is much less common than its transparent modern equivalents, mourner, weeper, and crier.
nounA person who sobs, especially one who professionally or ceremonially mourned for the dead.
- A person who sobs.
- Historically, a professional or ceremonial mourner, especially one hired to weep for the dead.
"The village paid a professional sobber to mourn at the funeral."
"The child was such an inveterate sobber that no one could ignore the noise."
"In the old account, a hired sobber led the procession of mourners."
The regular plural is used when referring to more than one person who sobs or serves as a professional mourner.
"The novel portrays the professional sobbers who accompanied funeral processions."
Once, you could be hired to sob: a professional sobber was someone paid to mourn publicly for the dead.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sobber come from?
Sobber is an English agent-noun formed from sob with the suffix -er, literally meaning “one who sobs.” English sob is generally understood to have an imitative or expressive origin associated with the sound of weeping, although the precise development of the verb is not fully certain. The professional-mourner meaning developed through the established practice of employing mourners to lament the dead.
Related word forms
How sobber is actually used
The word is now rare and chiefly literary or historical. The professional-mourner sense is especially associated with older narratives and descriptions of funeral customs.
Easily confused with sobber
A sobber is someone who weeps loudly or ceremonially, whereas sober means serious or, for a person, not intoxicated.