noble means having honorable qualities; having moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean or dubious in conduct and character.
noble is pronounced /ˈnəʊbəl/.
Why “noble” is a great word
Possessing qualities of high moral character, dignity, and elevated mind or spirit, or pertaining to a hereditary social class of high rank. From Middle English noble, from Old French noble, from Latin nōbilis (“knowable, known, well-known, famous, of noble birth, excellent”), from nōscere, gnōscere (“to know”)—suggesting that what is known, what stands out from obscurity, defines the noble. Unlike “aristocratic,” which specifically denotes hereditary privilege, or “honorable,” which emphasizes principled conduct, “noble” implies a grandeur of soul that transcends mere duty or birthright. It is the unflinching posture in defeat, the quiet charity that seeks no witness, and the weary, mud-spattered king who still bears the crown’s weight with grace—an excellence that renders a person legible to history.
Etymology
From Middle English noble, from Old French noble, borrowed from Latin nōbilis (“knowable, known, well-known, famous, celebrated, high-born, of noble birth, excellent”), from nōscere, gnōscere (“to know”).
False cognate of Arabic نبيل (nabīl). Displaced native Middle English athel, from Old English æþele.
adj
- Having honorable qualities; having moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean or dubious in conduct and character.“He made a noble effort.”
- Grand; stately; magnificent; splendid.“a noble edifice”
- Of exalted rank; of or relating to the nobility; distinguished from the masses by birth, station, or title; highborn.“noble blood; a noble personage”
- Of an element, unreactive.
- Belonging to a class of grape cultivars traditionally considered most favorable for winemaking, usually encompassing the six: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon blanc, Chardonnay, and Riesling.
- Both isohedral and isogonal.
name
- A surname.
- A male given name.
- A number of places in the United States:; A village in Richland County, Illinois.
- A number of places in the United States:; A township and unincorporated community therein, in Jay County, Indiana.
- A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Washington County, Iowa.
- A number of places in the United States:; A village in Sabine Parish, Louisiana.
- A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Ozark County, Missouri.
- A number of places in the United States:; A city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma.
- A number of places in the United States:; A number of other townships in the United States, listed under Noble Township.
noun
- An aristocrat; one of aristocratic blood.“This country house was occupied by nobles in the 16th century.”
- A medieval gold coin of England in the 14th and 15th centuries, usually valued at 6s 8d.“I lyked no thynge his playe, / For yf I had not quyckely fledde the touche, / He had plucte oute the nobles of my pouche.”
Words closest in meaning
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