nobility
Americannoun
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a socially or politically privileged class whose titles are conferred by descent or by royal decree
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the state or quality of being morally or spiritually good; dignity
the nobility of his mind
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(in the British Isles) the class of people holding the titles of dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, or barons and their feminine equivalents collectively; peerage
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of nobility
1350–1400; Middle English nobilite < Latin nōbilitās. See noble, -ity
Explanation
Nobility refers to a privileged class of people — often receiving hereditary titles — also called the aristocracy. You know the type. They hang around manors and castles, or curry favor at court. In the United states, there is no official class system, so there is no official noble class, or nobility. But nobility is also a synonym for nobleness — elevation of morals, ideals, or behavior. So if you have friends who always behave with generosity, honesty, and integrity, you may be surrounded by nobility — even if you don’t hang out with lords, baronesses, dukes, or ladies.
Vocabulary lists containing nobility
Liberty, Equality, Vocabulary: The French Revolution
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The Articles of Confederation (1777)
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The French Revolution
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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.
He recounted the wonders of this tool in his book, "Artistic Cookery: A Practical System Suited for the Use of the Nobility and Gentry and for Public Entertainments," in 1870.
From Salon • Feb. 8, 2023
The new sanctions target a Russian ship, the Ostap Sheremeta, involved in laying pipe for the project that is nearly complete; the Russian owner of another vessel, JSC Nobility; and the construction firm Konstanta OOO.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 20, 2021
In their book on the FSB, called The New Nobility, Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan say Mr Putin expanded the FSB's powers by enabling it to send agents abroad for special operations, including intelligence gathering.
From BBC • Feb. 2, 2018
Samuel Adams called it “as rapid a Stride towards an hereditary Military Nobility as was ever made in so short a time,” and George Washington was forced to disavow the effort.
From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018
The only thing there was an old copy of Nature’s Nobility: A Wizarding Genealogy.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
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.
