noblesse

British  

/ nəʊˈblɛs /

noun

1. noble birth or condition

2. the noble class

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Etymology

Origin of noblesse

C13: from Old French; see _noble

Example Sentences

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

When Pritzker finds himself explaining why he does what he does, he often falls back on the vague language of noblesse oblige—that “we” have a responsibility to “lift up” or “stand up” for “the vulnerable.”

From Slate • Sep. 18, 2025

It's the "noblesse oblige" posturing of 19th-century industrialists, who pretended that building a few museums made up for grinding underpaid workers into dust.

From Salon • Oct. 12, 2023

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

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2023

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

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove