noblesse oblige

American  

[noh-bles oh-bleezh, naw-bles aw-bleezh] / noʊˈblɛs oʊˈbliʒ, nɔˈblɛs ɔˈbliʒ /

noun

1. the moral obligation of those of high birth, powerful social position, etc., to act with honor, kindliness, generosity, etc.

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noblesse oblige British  

/ nəʊˈblɛs əʊˈbliːʒ, nɔblɛs ɔbliʒ /

noun

1. ironic the supposed obligation of nobility to be honourable and generous

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noblesse oblige Cultural  

1. The belief that the wealthy and privileged are obliged to help those less fortunate. From French, meaning “nobility obligates.”

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Etymology

Origin of noblesse oblige

First recorded in 1830–40; from French: literally, “nobility obliges”

Example Sentences

They rode to work in Rolls-Royces and adhered to a Protestant ethic of noblesse oblige.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

Today, Beek and his family run it out of a sense of noblesse oblige.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2023

To offset this, there's been a tradition of "noblesse oblige" on the part of America's wealthiest dynasties.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2022

Though Alger indeed extols the virtues of hard work, prayer, honesty and saving, his books also hinge upon chance encounters and the noblesse oblige of someone much higher on the class ladder.

From New York Times • Apr. 5, 2022

Its graduates are monied, but believe in the concept of noblesse oblige.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove