Standard Lemma guide

nobility

noun · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • General-American: /noʊˈbɪlɪti/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /nəʊˈbɪlɪti/
  • Received-Pronunciation: /nəˈbɪlɪti/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɪlɪti
  • CMU ARPABET: N OW0 B IH1 L AH0 T IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A noble or privileged social class, historically accompanied by a hereditary title; aristocracy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The castle was once home to the Scottish nobility.
  • Titles of nobility were passed down through generations.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aristocracy, noblesse, upper class

Antonyms: plebeian

2

noun

Meaning 2

The quality of being noble.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Examples

  • He displayed nobility of character when helping his rivals.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aristocracy, nobleness, noblesse

Antonyms: meanness, ignobility

3

noun

Meaning 3

the quality of elevation of mind and exaltation of character or ideals or conduct

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: nobleness, magnanimousness, grandeur

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: honorableness, honourableness

Narrower terms: high-mindedness, idealism, noble-mindedness, sublimity

4

noun

Meaning 4

a privileged class holding hereditary titles

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: aristocracy

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: elite, elite group

Narrower terms: noblesse, peerage, baronage, baronetage, knighthood, samurai, Ferdinand and Isabella, William and Mary

5

noun

Meaning 5

the state of being of noble birth

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: noblesse

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: status, position

Narrower terms: purple

History

Etymology

From Old French nobilité, from Latin nobilitas. Equivalent to noble + -ity.

Across languages

Translations

96 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: adel — noble or privileged social class
  • Afrikaans: adelstand — noble or privileged social class
  • Albanian: fisnikëri — noble or privileged social class
  • Arabic: نُبْل (nubl) — noble or privileged social class
  • Arabic: نَبَالَة (nabāla) — noble or privileged social class
  • Armenian: ազնվականություն (aznvakanutʻyun) — noble or privileged social class
  • Asturian: nobleza — noble or privileged social class
  • Belarusian: двара́нства (dvaránstva) — noble or privileged social class
  • Belarusian: шля́хта (šljáxta) — noble or privileged social class
  • Bulgarian: аристокра́ция (aristokrácija) — noble or privileged social class
  • Bulgarian: дворя́нство (dvorjánstvo) — noble or privileged social class
  • Catalan: noblesa — noble or privileged social class
  • Chinese Mandarin: 貴族 /贵族 (guìzú) — noble or privileged social class
  • Czech: šlechta — noble or privileged social class
  • Dutch: adel — noble or privileged social class
  • Esperanto: nobelaro — noble or privileged social class
  • Estonian: aadel — noble or privileged social class
  • Faroese: aðal — noble or privileged social class
  • Finnish: aateli — noble or privileged social class
  • French: noblesse — noble or privileged social class
  • Friulian: nobiltât — noble or privileged social class
  • Galician: nobreza — noble or privileged social class
  • Georgian: თავადაზნაურობა (tavadaznauroba) — noble or privileged social class
  • Georgian: არისტოკრატია (arisṭoḳraṭia) — noble or privileged social class
  • German: Adel — noble or privileged social class
  • German: Aristokratie — noble or privileged social class
  • German: Nobilität — noble or privileged social class
  • Greek: αριστοκρατία (aristokratía) — noble or privileged social class
  • Ancient Greek: εὐγένεια (eugéneia) — noble or privileged social class
  • Hebrew: אצולה (atzula) — noble or privileged social class
  • Hungarian: nemesség — noble or privileged social class
  • Irish: uaisle — noble or privileged social class
  • Italian: nobiltà — noble or privileged social class
  • Japanese: 貴族 (kizoku) — noble or privileged social class
  • Korean: 귀족 (gwijok) — noble or privileged social class
  • Latin: nōbilitās — noble or privileged social class
  • Macedonian: благородништво (blagorodništvo) — noble or privileged social class
  • Macedonian: дворјанство (dvorjanstvo) — noble or privileged social class
  • Old English: æþelnes — noble or privileged social class
  • Old English: æþelu — noble or privileged social class
  • Plautdietsch: Odel — noble or privileged social class
  • Polish: szlachta — noble or privileged social class
  • Portuguese: nobreza — noble or privileged social class
  • Romanian: nobilime — noble or privileged social class
  • Romanian: noblețe — noble or privileged social class
  • Russian: дворя́нство (dvorjánstvo) — noble or privileged social class
  • Russian: аристокра́тия (aristokrátija) — noble or privileged social class
  • Russian: знать (znatʹ) — noble or privileged social class
  • Russian: шля́хта (šljáxta) — noble or privileged social class
  • Scottish Gaelic: uaisle — noble or privileged social class
  • Scottish Gaelic: uaisleachd — noble or privileged social class
  • Serbo-Croatian: племство — noble or privileged social class
  • Serbo-Croatian: властела — noble or privileged social class
  • Serbo-Croatian: plemstvo — noble or privileged social class
  • Serbo-Croatian: vlastela — noble or privileged social class
  • Slovak: šľachta — noble or privileged social class
  • Slovene: plemstvo — noble or privileged social class
  • Spanish: nobleza — noble or privileged social class
  • Swedish: adel — noble or privileged social class
  • Tocharian B: klyomñe — noble or privileged social class
  • Ukrainian: дворя́нство (dvorjánstvo) — noble or privileged social class
  • Ukrainian: шля́хта (šljáxta) — noble or privileged social class
  • Vietnamese: quí tộc — noble or privileged social class
  • Yiddish: אַדל (adl) — noble or privileged social class
  • Arabic: فَخَامَة (faḵāma) — the quality of being noble
  • Arabic: شَهَامَة (šahāma) — the quality of being noble
  • Asturian: nobleza — the quality of being noble
  • Bulgarian: благородство (blagorodstvo) — the quality of being noble
  • Catalan: noblesa — the quality of being noble
  • Czech: vznešenost — the quality of being noble
  • Esperanto: nobleco — the quality of being noble
  • Esperanto: nobeleco — the quality of being noble
  • Finnish: aateluus — the quality of being noble
  • French: noblesse — the quality of being noble
  • Friulian: nobiltât — the quality of being noble
  • Galician: nobreza — the quality of being noble
  • German: Adeligkeit — the quality of being noble
  • German: Blaublütigkeit — the quality of being noble
  • German: Nobilität — the quality of being noble
  • Greek: αριστοκρατικότητα (aristokratikótita) — the quality of being noble
  • Greek: αρχοντιά (archontiá) — the quality of being noble
  • Irish: uaisleacht — the quality of being noble
  • Italian: nobilità — the quality of being noble
  • Japanese: 崇高 (sūkō) — the quality of being noble
  • Japanese: 高潔 (kōketsu) — the quality of being noble
  • Latin: nobilitas — the quality of being noble
  • Latin: ingenuitas — the quality of being noble
  • Macedonian: благородност (blagorodnost) — the quality of being noble
  • Old English: æþelnes — the quality of being noble
  • Portuguese: nobreza — the quality of being noble
  • Romanian: noblețe — the quality of being noble
  • Russian: благоро́дство (blagoródstvo) — the quality of being noble
  • Serbo-Croatian: племенитост — the quality of being noble
  • Serbo-Croatian: plemenitost — the quality of being noble
  • Spanish: nobleza — the quality of being noble
  • Turkish: soyluluk — the quality of being noble
Real reading context

nobility in complete knowledge articles