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

See Examples For:

noblesse oblige

Mr. Broderick, himself a sometime movie star, brings a slyly funny air of noblesse oblige that dovetails amusingly with Jay’s pompous, blinkered dimness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

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

“You’ve got true noblesse oblige, Mountain Goat,” Dad would say.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls