Skip to content

sombre

dark, gloomy

adjective SOHM-br Less Common

Also means

grim, sinister

Usage Note

Sombre precedes or follows the noun and is invariable in form (same for masculine and feminine). It describes both literal darkness (une pièce sombre) and a mood or atmosphere (une humeur sombre). The adverb sombrement means 'gloomily'.

Examples

"Le ciel est sombre avant l'orage."

Natural Translation

The sky is dark before the storm.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic