nobility

[ noh-bil-i-tee ]

noun

, plural no·bil·i·ties.

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 Words From

• nonno·bili·ty noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of nobility¹

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

Example Sentences

At the center of it all, ostensibly, is an exploration of humanity—its nobility and its monstrosity.

From The Daily Beast

A princess will have to relinquish her imperial status if she weds outside the nobility, but this legal measure drastically reduced the pool of eligible males.

From Time

The time has come for actions to match the nobility of our words.

From Voice of San Diego

He seems to be saying we’ve entered a new age of stability and nobility.

From Washington Post

Isaacson also argues that the pandemic will permanently remake science itself, “reminding scientists of the nobility of their mission” and reversing long-standing trends toward commercialized research.

From Washington Post

They work anonymously and there is nobility in what they do.

From The Daily Beast

The du Pont family descended from Huguenot nobility in Burgundy, emigrating to the United States in 1800.

From The Daily Beast

I just tried to infuse it with nobility, because he was after all a king.

From The Daily Beast

The “wound” is the ignorance of the nobility of the individual and of man, and the separation of all of us.

From The Daily Beast

The youthful nobility were singled out by Socrates because they, above all others, were both erotic and courageous.

From The Daily Beast

He gives a list of the sponsors of the baptized Indians, who included many of the French nobility and clergy.

From Project Gutenberg

But all men at times betray themselves, and some betrayals, if scarcely clever, are not without nobility.

From Project Gutenberg

He was the man made for the time—precisely the middle term between the reign of the nobility and the reign of the populace.

From Project Gutenberg

The Connecticut tobacco grower is in all respects a man of genuine refinement and nobility of soul.

From Project Gutenberg

With one of the sisters, who was allied to the nobility, she formed a strong friendship, which continued through life.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

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