noble
Americanadjective
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distinguished by rank or title.
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pertaining to persons so distinguished.
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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
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of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence.
a noble thought.
- Synonyms:
- worthy, estimable, honorable, magnanimous, principled, high-minded, elevated, lofty, meritorious
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admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition.
a noble poem.
- Antonyms:
- unrespected, disreputable, undignified
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very impressive or imposing in appearance.
a noble monument.
- Synonyms:
- imperial, regal, impressive, splendid, imposing, magnificent, stately, grand, majestic, lordly
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of an admirably high quality; notably superior; excellent
- Synonyms:
- exceptional, exemplary, outstanding, notable, noteworthy
- Antonyms:
- unexceptional, ordinary, inferior
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famous; illustrious; renowned.
- Synonyms:
- distinguished, celebrated, famed
- Antonyms:
- obscure, unknown, remarkable
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Chemistry. inert; chemically inactive.
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Falconry. (of a hawk) having excellent qualities or abilities.
noun
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nobles
plural
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a person of noble birth or rank; nobleman or noblewoman.
- Synonyms:
- patrician, blue blood, aristocrat, peer
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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.
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(in Britain) a peer.
adjective
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of or relating to a hereditary class with special social or political status, often derived from a feudal period
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of or characterized by high moral qualities; magnanimous
a noble deed
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having dignity or eminence; illustrious
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grand or imposing; magnificent
a noble avenue of trees
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of superior quality or kind; excellent
a noble strain of horses
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chem
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(of certain elements) chemically unreactive
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(of certain metals, esp copper, silver, and gold) resisting oxidation
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falconry
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designating long-winged falcons that capture their quarry by stooping on it from above Compare ignoble
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designating the type of quarry appropriate to a particular species of falcon
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noun
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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
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(in the British Isles) a person holding the title of duke, marquess, earl, viscount, or baron, or a feminine equivalent
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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
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noblenessnoun
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overnoblenessnoun
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nonnobleadjective
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overnobleadjective
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pseudonobleadjective
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noblyadverb
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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
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An "August" Assortment: Words Worthy of Honor
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"Beowulf," Vocabulary from the epic poem
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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:
The world of “Lanterns” prefers to be bracingly honest about our false assumptions about heroism and whether the people we deem to be noble really are.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
The World Cup gives each of us an opportunity to affirm our identities with pride, and Los Angeles throughout history has been the place that has welcomed these noble acts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
The researchers also propose that heavy noble gases in lunar soil could act as "fossil records" of earlier interactions between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
To stand for public office and to lead a public life is a noble calling and don't underestimate the courage it takes to hold, in public, views that divide.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
This would place us in the more noble ‘upper’ hemisphere.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
"We need a long process of changing the mindset" of the nobles, he said during the enormous funeral of one of them close to the capital, to which 4,000 guests, including atas, were invited.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
English lands were handed over the Norman nobles.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
He convened the Estates General—representing the nobles, the clergy and the commoners—to break the deadlock.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025
Justifying the multicultural casting in “Bridgerton,” a Regency-era fable, is simpler than explaining the presence of non-white nobles in Emperor Peter III’s Russia as depicted in “The Great.”
From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2025
True, the crowds were not as wealthy as those at the Horse and Four, but they appreciated me in a way the nobles never had.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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
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
It’s ridiculous how entertaining “Air” is given that it’s about shoes, even if it works overtime to persuade you that it’s also about other, nobler truths, too.
From New York Times ● Apr. 4, 2023
In the Iliad Hector is nobler by far than any of the heavenly beings, and Andromache infinitely to be preferred to Athena or Aphrodite.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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
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
The Chinese philosopher Confucius reputedly said, “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.”
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023
We must face up to the ugliest aspects of our history and also to its noblest and most inspiring words and deeds.
From Salon ● Jun. 1, 2023
Melampous, a rich lord, had owned a house unmatched among the Pylians, until the day came when king Neleus, noblest in that age, drove him from his native land.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
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.
