nobility

[noh-bil-i-tee]

noun

plural

nobilities 

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.

nobility

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• nonnobility noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nobility¹

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

Example Sentences

She makes references to King Kalakaua, Queen Lili’uokalani and other Hawaiian nobility few in a mainland audience are likely to know.

From Los Angeles Times

Chris is a man of low social standing, unlike Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince or Clark Kent, whose social nobility somehow infers a level of trustworthiness.

From Salon

Historians have interpreted this as the era’s political satire: the magpie, audacious in the presence of a great predator, represented the common man standing up to the nobility.

From Los Angeles Times

From what we can surmise, the baby is a device to showcase the nobility of the show’s male characters or lack thereof.

From Salon

Since Bezos’ main competitor in the world’s richest man pageant is running around bragging about his plan to seed more wombs, these testimonials emphasize the nobility in the Blue Origin founder’s space flight sponsorship.

From Salon

Related Words

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