nobility

American  

[noh-bil-i-tee] / noʊˈbɪl ɪ ti /

noun

• nobilities
  plural

1. the noble class or the body of nobles in a country.

2. (in Britain) the peerage.

3. the state or quality of being noble.

4. nobleness of mind, character, or spirit; exalted moral excellence.

5. grandeur or magnificence.

6. noble birth or rank.

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nobility British  

/ nəʊˈbɪlɪtɪ /

noun

1. a socially or politically privileged class whose titles are conferred by descent or by royal decree

2. the state or quality of being morally or spiritually good; dignity

   the nobility of his mind

3. (in the British Isles) the class of people holding the titles of dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, or barons and their feminine equivalents collectively; peerage

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonnobility
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• nobilities
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nobility nobilities

I mean the bit about relying on the collective nobility of our compatriots.

From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026

From Parsi philanthropists and Maharashtrian nobility to mill workers and marginalised migrant settlers, the photographs showcase the city's many faces that stake a claim to the making of Bombay.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

With “Linaje” — it translates to lineage, a term often associated with nobility and pedigree — the brothers are intent on sharing their hard-earned success with those they love most.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026

Yet this is what we are left with—and we can only admire the grace, nobility and gravity of expression that she brought to whatever she recorded.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

“You must tell me who cuts your hair ...” Anyone with a lick of common sense knew how to deal with arrogant nobility.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

It captures all the nobilities of the sport, in all its splendor, in two minutes flat.

From Time ● Apr. 6, 2015

As a result, moviegoers get a full treatment of the giant-sized nobilities and epic despairs that swirl up from Victorian drama, reflected in the iridescent mirror of fin de siecle Paris.

From Time Magazine Archive

Britain and France had hereditary nobilities; Britain still has a queen.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Was it mere chance that in drawing this don, Cervantes clothed him with all nobilities, and shows him—living and dying—good, courageous, pure; in short, a man?

From A Hero and Some Other Folks by William A. (William Alfred) Quayle

It was upon such occasions that he saw, or thought he saw, the inevitable tendency of European cities to emasculate and corrupt the rugged nobilities of mankind.

From Murder Point A Tale of Keewatin by Coningsby Dawson

Related Words

• dignity
• generosity
• grandeur
• greatness
• integrity
• superiority
• upper class
• virtue