ennoble
Americanverb (used with object)
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to elevate in degree, excellence, or respect; dignify; exalt.
a personality ennobled by true generosity.
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to confer a title of nobility on.
verb
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to make noble, honourable, or excellent; dignify; exalt
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to raise to a noble rank; confer a title of nobility upon
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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ennoblementnoun
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ennoblernoun
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ennoblingadjective
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unennobledadjective
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unennoblingadjective
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ennoblinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ennoblesimple
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ennoblessimple
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have ennobledperfect
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has ennobledperfect
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are ennoblingprogressive
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am ennoblingprogressive
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is ennoblingprogressive
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have been ennoblingperfect progressive
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has been ennoblingperfect progressive
Past
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ennobledsimple
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had ennobledperfect
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was ennoblingprogressive
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were ennoblingprogressive
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had been ennoblingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ennoble
1425–75; late Middle English ennobelen < Middle French, Old French ennoblir. See en- 1, noble
Explanation
To ennoble someone is to make them a Lord or a Baroness — to bestow a noble title upon them. The Queen of England has the power to ennoble people, turning Paul McCartney into Sir Paul McCartney, for example. One way to use the verb ennoble is to mean, literally, "make someone a noble or a member of the nobility." It can also mean "bestow or lend dignity to" or "make dignified." You could say, "Reading great books ennobles the mind," or "Treating others with kindness ennobles a person." Ennoble comes from the Old French ennoblir, from the prefix en-, "put in," and the Latin root nobilis, "excellent, superior, or splendid."
Vocabulary lists containing ennoble
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
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"A Place to Call Home" by Scott Bittle and Jonathan Rochkind
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The Prince
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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.
Ennoble, en-nō′bl, v.t. to make noble: to elevate, distinguish: to raise to nobility.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 2 of 4: E-M) by Various
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.
