ignoble means not noble; plebeian; common.
ignoble is pronounced /ɪɡˈnəʊbəl/.
Why “ignoble” is a great word
Lacking honor in character or purpose; base or mean. From Middle French ignoble, from Latin ignōbilis, from in- ("not") + nōbilis ("noble, well-known"). Unlike "common," which merely denotes the ordinary and frequent, or "vulgar," which suggests a coarse lack of refinement, "ignoble" carries the specific, quiet weight of moral failure. It is the lie told to wound rather than to protect, the theft committed from contemptible ease, and the small cruelty exercised simply because it could be hidden—a quiet, corrosive surrender to the lesser self, where honor is not lost but deliberately refused.
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French ignoble, from Latin ignōbilis, from in- (“not”) + gnōbilis, later nōbilis (“noble”).
adj
- Not noble; plebeian; common.“I was not ignoble of descent.”
- Not honorable; base.“A base, ignoble mind, / That mounts no higher than a bird can soar.”
- Not a true or "noble" falcon; said of certain hawks, such as the goshawk.
- Of an element, dangerously reactive.
verb
- To make ignoble; to bring low.
Words closest in meaning
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