noble
Americanadjective
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distinguished by rank or title.
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pertaining to persons so distinguished.
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of, belonging to, or constituting a hereditary class that has special social or political status in a country or state; of or pertaining to the aristocracy.
- Synonyms:
- blue-blooded, patrician, aristocratic, highborn
- Antonyms:
- bourgeois, middle-class, working-class, lower-class, common, lowborn, baseborn
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of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence.
a noble thought.
- Synonyms:
- worthy, estimable, honorable, magnanimous, principled, high-minded, elevated, lofty, meritorious
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admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition.
a noble poem.
- Antonyms:
- unrespected, disreputable, undignified
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very impressive or imposing in appearance.
a noble monument.
- Synonyms:
- imperial, regal, impressive, splendid, imposing, magnificent, stately, grand, majestic, lordly
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of an admirably high quality; notably superior; excellent
- Synonyms:
- exceptional, exemplary, outstanding, notable, noteworthy
- Antonyms:
- unexceptional, ordinary, inferior
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famous; illustrious; renowned.
- Synonyms:
- distinguished, celebrated, famed
- Antonyms:
- obscure, unknown, remarkable
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Chemistry. inert; chemically inactive.
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Falconry. (of a hawk) having excellent qualities or abilities.
noun
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nobles
plural
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a person of noble birth or rank; nobleman or noblewoman.
- Synonyms:
- patrician, blue blood, aristocrat, peer
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a former gold coin of England, first issued in 1346 by Edward III, equal to half a mark or 6s. 8d., replaced in 1464 under Edward IV by the rose noble.
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(in Britain) a peer.
adjective
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of or relating to a hereditary class with special social or political status, often derived from a feudal period
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of or characterized by high moral qualities; magnanimous
a noble deed
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having dignity or eminence; illustrious
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grand or imposing; magnificent
a noble avenue of trees
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of superior quality or kind; excellent
a noble strain of horses
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chem
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(of certain elements) chemically unreactive
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(of certain metals, esp copper, silver, and gold) resisting oxidation
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falconry
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designating long-winged falcons that capture their quarry by stooping on it from above Compare ignoble
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designating the type of quarry appropriate to a particular species of falcon
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noun
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a person belonging to a privileged social or political class whose status is usually indicated by a title conferred by sovereign authority or descent
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(in the British Isles) a person holding the title of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, or baron, or a feminine equivalent
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a former Brit gold coin having the value of one third of a pound
Synonym Usage
Noble, high-minded, magnanimous agree in referring to lofty principles and loftiness of mind or spirit. Noble implies a loftiness of character or spirit that scorns the petty, mean, base, or dishonorable: a noble deed. High-minded implies having elevated principles and consistently adhering to them: a high-minded pursuit of legal reforms. Magnanimous suggests greatness of mind or soul, especially as manifested in generosity or in overlooking injuries: magnanimous toward his former enemies.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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noblenessnoun
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overnoblenessnoun
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nonnobleadjective
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overnobleadjective
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pseudonobleadjective
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noblyadverb
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overnoblyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of noble
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin (g)nōbilis “notable, of high rank,” equivalent to (g)nō-, root of (g)nōscere “to get to know, find out” + -bilis adjective suffix; see origin at know 1, -ble
Explanation
A noble is a titled peer of the realm or an aristocrat. As an adjective, noble describes someone with high or elevated character, or who is impressive in appearance. From feudal times, we have known nobles as the heirs to thrones or as the holders of aristocratic title. British aristocracy, for example, produces many people of various noble titles, including dukes, earls, princes, kings, and queens. As various royal histories tell us, however, many of these nobles in title weren't quite so noble in character.
Vocabulary lists containing noble
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
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An "August" Assortment: Words Worthy of Honor
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"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The world of “Lanterns” prefers to be bracingly honest about our false assumptions about heroism and whether the people we deem to be noble really are.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
The influence is permanently recorded in both the depth at which particles entered the regolith and the isotopic signatures of noble gases trapped there.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
To stand for public office and to lead a public life is a noble calling and don't underestimate the courage it takes to hold, in public, views that divide.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Argentina: “Hear the sound of broken chains/See noble equality enthroned.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026
Yet aside from his military prowess, manners and charity were two other merits that defined his noble lineage.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
"We need a long process of changing the mindset" of the nobles, he said during the enormous funeral of one of them close to the capital, to which 4,000 guests, including atas, were invited.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the Middle Ages, William the Conqueror took control of England's land and granted parts of it to loyal nobles, who leased it to others for a fixed term.
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
That’s because it includes a spectrum of voices from across our culture – nobles and villagers, Black and Indigenous figures, women, British loyalists, philosophers and soldiers among them.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025
He convened the Estates General—representing the nobles, the clergy and the commoners—to break the deadlock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
All the attendants and nobles sprang up in a flurry, rippling out like waves in the water.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
It would be a valuable prize for the country and for him, an honor far nobler than the Nobel.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 8, 2026
This is not to imply that WBD, Paramount, NBCUniversal or Disney, which owns ABC, are any nobler than their tech-based competition.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2023
Known for inventing the fast break, McLendon made a far nobler contribution to sports by accelerating the acceptance of minorities.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
Shakespeare in the Park canceled its Thursday and Friday performances of “Hamlet,” saying ’tis not nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of wretched air.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2023
Then everyone cheered or bayed or neighed or trumpeted or clapped its wings and the royal pair stood looking solemn and a little shy, but all the nobler for their shyness.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
The book’s hero is an upbeat, morally upright counselor named Ben Frost, who activated the boys’ noblest impulses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Gold is famously known as the noblest of all metals because it has little or no reaction when encountering other substances; a property that makes it perfect for wedding rings and coins.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2024
But that movie, for all its missteps, looks increasingly like the noblest of failures, a genuinely nervy, conceptually ambitious folly from which the director has now retreated to this movie’s safer, smugger climes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
The Chinese philosopher Confucius reputedly said, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023
Hrothgar went back to his high, carved chair, relinquishing the bowl to the noblest of his thanes, and sat like an old man listening inside his mind to the voices of his childhood.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
