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

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Etymology

Origin of nobility

1350–1400; Middle English nobilite < Latin nōbilitās. See noble, -ity

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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

The film seems to suggest that we — the audience to this specious display of white-knighting nobility — are monsters who can act just as heinous as the criminals.

From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026

When Elle wants something, she figures out a way to get it and comes by her success honestly and with nobility.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026

He plans to marry Lady Julia Flyte, a beautiful scion of Catholic nobility, to cement his credentials in conservative circles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 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

More of a shady old lady than Swiss nobility.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

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

There was a reigning king present—a tall, elderly man with a long white beard—half the nobilities of Europe were represented.

From Chance in Chains A Story of Monte Carlo by Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull

In all times, and holding all sorts of beliefs, the specimen humanity of courts and nobilities is to be found developing the most complex qualifications of the code.

From Anticipations Of the Reaction of Mechanical and Scientific Progress upon Human life and Thought by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells

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Related Words

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

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