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noble

 - 2 dictionary results

no⋅ble

  [noh-buhl] adjective, -bler, -blest, noun
Use noble in a Sentence
–adjective
1. distinguished by rank or title.
2. pertaining to persons so distinguished.
3. 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.
4. of an exalted moral or mental character or excellence; lofty: a noble thought.
5. admirable in dignity of conception, manner of expression, execution, or composition: a noble poem.
6. very impressive or imposing in appearance; stately; magnificent: a noble monument.
7. of an admirably high quality; notably superior; excellent.
8. famous; illustrious; renowned.
9. Chemistry. inert; chemically inactive.
10. Falconry. (of a hawk) having excellent qualities or abilities.
–noun
11. a person of noble birth or rank; nobleman or noblewoman.
12. 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.
13. (in Britain) a peer.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME < OF < L (g)nōbilis notable, of high rank, equiv. to (g)nō-, base of (g)nōscere to get to know, find out (see know 1 ) + -bilis -ble

Related forms:
no⋅ble⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
3. highborn, aristocratic. 4. honorable. 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, esp. as manifested in generosity or in overlooking injuries: magnanimous toward his former enemies. 6. grand, lordly, splendid. 11. peer, aristocrat.

Antonyms:
3. lowborn, base.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To noble
no·ble   (nō'bəl)   
adj.   no·bler, no·blest

  1. Possessing hereditary rank in a political system or social class derived from a feudalistic stage of a country's development.

    1. Having or showing qualities of high moral character, such as courage, generosity, or honor: a noble spirit.

    2. Proceeding from or indicative of such a character; showing magnanimity: "What poor an instrument/May do a noble deed!" (Shakespeare).

  3. Grand and stately in appearance; majestic: "a mighty Spanish chestnut, bare now of leaves, but in summer a noble tree" (Richard Jeffries).

  4. Chemistry Inactive or inert.

n.  

  1. A member of the nobility.

  2. A gold coin formerly used in England, worth half of a mark.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin nōbilis; see gnō- in Indo-European roots.]
no'ble·ness n., no'bly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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