noble
Americanadjective
-
distinguished by rank or title.
-
pertaining to persons so distinguished.
-
of, belonging to, or constituting a hereditary class that has special social or political status in a country or state; of or pertaining to the aristocracy.
- Synonyms:
- blue-blooded, patrician, aristocratic, highborn
- Antonyms:
- bourgeois, middle-class, working-class, lower-class, common, lowborn, baseborn
-
of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence.
a noble thought.
- Synonyms:
- worthy, estimable, honorable, magnanimous, principled, high-minded, elevated, lofty, meritorious
-
admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition.
a noble poem.
- Antonyms:
- unrespected, disreputable, undignified
-
very impressive or imposing in appearance.
a noble monument.
- Synonyms:
- imperial, regal, impressive, splendid, imposing, magnificent, stately, grand, majestic, lordly
-
of an admirably high quality; notably superior; excellent
- Synonyms:
- exceptional, exemplary, outstanding, notable, noteworthy
- Antonyms:
- unexceptional, ordinary, inferior
-
famous; illustrious; renowned.
- Synonyms:
- distinguished, celebrated, famed
- Antonyms:
- obscure, unknown, remarkable
-
Chemistry. inert; chemically inactive.
-
Falconry. (of a hawk) having excellent qualities or abilities.
noun
-
nobles
plural
-
a person of noble birth or rank; nobleman or noblewoman.
- Synonyms:
- patrician, blue blood, aristocrat, peer
-
a former gold coin of England, first issued in 1346 by Edward III, equal to half a mark or 6s. 8d., replaced in 1464 under Edward IV by the rose noble.
-
(in Britain) a peer.
adjective
-
of or relating to a hereditary class with special social or political status, often derived from a feudal period
-
of or characterized by high moral qualities; magnanimous
a noble deed
-
having dignity or eminence; illustrious
-
grand or imposing; magnificent
a noble avenue of trees
-
of superior quality or kind; excellent
a noble strain of horses
-
chem
-
(of certain elements) chemically unreactive
-
(of certain metals, esp copper, silver, and gold) resisting oxidation
-
-
falconry
-
designating long-winged falcons that capture their quarry by stooping on it from above Compare ignoble
-
designating the type of quarry appropriate to a particular species of falcon
-
noun
-
a person belonging to a privileged social or political class whose status is usually indicated by a title conferred by sovereign authority or descent
-
(in the British Isles) a person holding the title of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, or baron, or a feminine equivalent
-
a former Brit gold coin having the value of one third of a pound
Synonym Usage
Noble, high-minded, magnanimous agree in referring to lofty principles and loftiness of mind or spirit. Noble implies a loftiness of character or spirit that scorns the petty, mean, base, or dishonorable: a noble deed. High-minded implies having elevated principles and consistently adhering to them: a high-minded pursuit of legal reforms. Magnanimous suggests greatness of mind or soul, especially as manifested in generosity or in overlooking injuries: magnanimous toward his former enemies.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
noblenessnoun
-
overnoblenessnoun
-
nonnobleadjective
-
overnobleadjective
-
pseudonobleadjective
-
noblyadverb
-
overnoblyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of noble
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin (g)nōbilis “notable, of high rank,” equivalent to (g)nō-, root of (g)nōscere “to get to know, find out” + -bilis adjective suffix; see origin at know 1, -ble
Explanation
A noble is a titled peer of the realm or an aristocrat. As an adjective, noble describes someone with high or elevated character, or who is impressive in appearance. From feudal times, we have known nobles as the heirs to thrones or as the holders of aristocratic title. British aristocracy, for example, produces many people of various noble titles, including dukes, earls, princes, kings, and queens. As various royal histories tell us, however, many of these nobles in title weren't quite so noble in character.
Vocabulary lists containing noble
"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act I
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
An "August" Assortment: Words Worthy of Honor
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Nor is there anything inherently noble about making employees spend eight hours deciphering orders shouted through crackling speakers while the ice-cream machine is down and a small diplomatic crisis is unfolding in the PlayPlace.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Global stability is a noble goal, but pursuing it can lead policymakers into dangerous missteps.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
But no matter how noble Alice’s mission is, her consistent character is no match for Anderson’s heavy hand.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Conservative shadow housing secretary Katie Lam said it was a "noble aim" to protect UK democracy from foreign influence but changes proposed by the government had not always been produced with "proper care and attention".
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
Fired up with the conviction that their cause was a noble one and the enemy an aggressor, they joined the colors and went to war.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
His people are ancient and few, a clan whose kinship with nature left them vulnerable to warring nobles who all but wiped them out.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Some nobles have tried to improve the atas' lot.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
English lands were handed over the Norman nobles.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
That’s because it includes a spectrum of voices from across our culture – nobles and villagers, Black and Indigenous figures, women, British loyalists, philosophers and soldiers among them.
From Salon ● Dec. 17, 2025
In consequence, the court nobles were left to choose the emperor.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
The nobler the cause, the nastier the graft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025
The earliest on the program, “Jefferson and Liberty” from 1800, included the verse: “Here strangers from thousand shores/Compell’d by tyranny to roam;/Shall find, amidst abundant stores,/A nobler and a happier home.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2024
This is not to imply that WBD, Paramount, NBCUniversal or Disney, which owns ABC, are any nobler than their tech-based competition.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2023
Shakespeare in the Park canceled its Thursday and Friday performances of “Hamlet,” saying ’tis not nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of wretched air.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 7, 2023
"I thought you a better man than this, kobert. I thought we had made a nobler king."
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
The book’s hero is an upbeat, morally upright counselor named Ben Frost, who activated the boys’ noblest impulses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Indeed, it can create the noblest magic known to all mankind.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025
Gold is famously known as the noblest of all metals because it has little or no reaction when encountering other substances; a property that makes it perfect for wedding rings and coins.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 27, 2024
But that movie, for all its missteps, looks increasingly like the noblest of failures, a genuinely nervy, conceptually ambitious folly from which the director has now retreated to this movie’s safer, smugger climes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 2023
Hrothgar went back to his high, carved chair, relinquishing the bowl to the noblest of his thanes, and sat like an old man listening inside his mind to the voices of his childhood.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
