noble
[noh-buh l]
- 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.
- of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence: a noble thought.
- admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition: a noble poem.
- very impressive or imposing in appearance: a noble monument.
- of an admirably high quality; notably superior; excellent.
- famous; illustrious; renowned.
- Chemistry. inert; chemically inactive.
- Falconry. (of a hawk) having excellent qualities or abilities.
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- a person of noble birth or rank; nobleman or noblewoman.
- 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.
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Origin of noble
Synonym study
4. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Related Words
virtuous, great, splendid, extraordinary, imposing, grand, magnificent, distinguished, charitable, benevolent, brilliant, worthy, honorable, humane, gracious, high-minded, dignified, lofty, patrician, imperialExamples from the Web for noblest
Contemporary Examples
Our noblest people paid with their souls so that we can build a country where we can live in freedom, justice, and dignity.
If a fortune is truly yours to make, it can only be had on your noblest terms.
Washington, unbending in his role as the noblest republican of them all, administered a severe blow to imperial pride.
Historical Examples
Freedom is one of the deepest and noblest aspirations of the human spirit.
Let us shape the hope of this day into the noblest chapter in our history.
It is said that the teacher's noblest work is to lead the child to his inheritance.
The Call of the Twentieth CenturyDavid Starr Jordan
These I saw—I saw the noblest immortal soul creation ever showed me.
The Letters of Robert BurnsRobert Burns
She is a charming girl, and highly worthy of the noblest love.
The Letters of Robert BurnsRobert Burns
noble
- 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; magnanimousa noble deed
- having dignity or eminence; illustrious
- grand or imposing; magnificenta noble avenue of trees
- of superior quality or kind; excellenta 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 aboveCompare ignoble
- designating the type of quarry appropriate to a particular species of falcon
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- 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
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Word Origin
C13: via Old French from Latin nōbilis, originally, capable of being known, hence well-known, noble, from noscere to know
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for noblest
noble
n.
"man of rank," c.1300, from noble (adj.). The same noun sense also is in Old French and Latin. Late 14c. as the name of an English coin first issued in reign of Edward III.
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noble
adj.
c.1200, "illustrious, distinguished; worthy of honor or respect," from Old French noble "of noble bearing or birth," from Latin nobilis "well-known, famous, renowned; excellent, superior, splendid; high-born, of superior birth," earlier *gnobilis, literally "knowable," from gnoscere "to come to know," from PIE root *gno- "to know" (see know). The prominent Roman families, which were "well known," provided most of the Republic's public officials.
Meaning "distinguished by rank, title, or birth" is first recorded late 13c. Sense of "having lofty character, having high moral qualities" is from c.1600. A noble gas (1902) is so called for its inactivity or intertness; a use of the word that had been applied in Middle English to precious stones, metals, etc., of similar quality (late 14c.), from the sense of "having admirable properties" (c.1300).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper