Synonyms

highborn

American

[hahy-bawrn] / ˈhaɪˌbɔrn /

adjective

of high rank by birth.

highborn British

/ ˈhaɪˌbɔːn /

adjective

of noble or aristocratic birth

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of highborn

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; high, born

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.

A highborn Athenian named Thucydides recognized at once that a transformative conflict was beginning.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Fans from America to Europe to Australia bought his books and flocked to his one-man shows, and his potent doses of humor and hard truth enthralled both the highborn and the humble.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2025

Ships, especially warships, were microcosms of society at large, filled with young boys and teenagers and old men, the uneducated and the highborn, all speaking a particular language.

From Washington Post • Apr. 18, 2023

A wealthy commoner, he craves acceptance by those highborn and dedicates himself to learning their refined pastimes, like fencing and dancing the minuet.

From New York Times • Jul. 21, 2016

They dressed him in the finest clothes, the kind a highborn goddess would wear to her wedding.

From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023