nobility

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noun no·bil·i·ty \ nō-ˈbi-lə-tē \

Definition of nobility

1 :the quality or state of being noble in character, quality, or rank

2 :the body of persons forming the noble class in a country or state :aristocracy

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Examples of nobility in a Sentence

the nobility of his character
They have shown great courage and nobility of purpose.

Recent Examples of nobility from the Web

In the movies, the monster was largely a lumbering menace with very little humanity to him, but in Shelley's work, there's a great deal more empathy for the plight of this creature, even some nobility.

— will nevin, OregonLive.com, "(Re)born into the mob: Author Paul Tobin on his upcoming series 'Made Men'," 22 Aug. 2017
During its six-game dash through the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, FCC found the joy of winning, which isn’t hard, but also the nobility of defeat, which can be impossible.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: The glory was in the effort for FC Cincinnati," 16 Aug. 2017
By that point, Levashov was cybercrime nobility in his own right.

— Bloomberg.com, "Alleged Russian Hacker’s Arrest Caps Long Cybercrime Career," 29 July 2017
By that point, Levashov was cybercrime nobility in his own right.

— raphael satter, Time, "Alleged Russian Hacker Awaiting Extradition to U.S.," 29 July 2017
To drive home this connection between the 1950s and the 1700s, curators have even recreated the famous Hall of Mirrors at the Chateau de Versailles, the ornate gallery where French nobility once paraded their finery.

— rhonda garelick, The Cut, "Why It Matters That Melania Wore Dior in Paris Last Week," 21 July 2017
Though unconscious when the killing began, Graziani took control of the subsequent reprisal executions, aimed in particular at eliminating the Ethiopian nobility and intelligentsia.

— The Economist, "Italy and the Addis Ababa massacre," 20 July 2017
Above all, Rahr aims to get recruits to appreciate the nobility of their profession.

— dan simon, CNN, "'Guardians of democracy': Police recruits learn to hold fire, empathize," 19 July 2017
The king’s alliance with a narrow sector of society, primarily the nobility, created divisions within society that exploded once the dictatorship collapsed.

— sheri berman, Washington Post, "Some argue that the West should limit democracy to save liberalism. Here’s why they’re wrong.," 18 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nobility.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of nobility

Middle English nobilite, from Anglo-French nobilité, from Latin nobilitat-, nobilitas, from nobilis

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First Known Use: 14th century

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nobility Synonyms

Synonyms

augustness, brilliance, gloriousness, glory, gorgeousness, grandeur, grandness, majesty, magnificence, nobleness, resplendence, resplendency, splendidness, splendiferousness, splendor, stateliness, stupendousness, sublimeness, superbness

Antonyms

proletarians, proletariat

Near Antonyms

commoners, (the) crowd, (the) masses, peasantry, peonage, (the) people, plebeians, plebs, (the) populace, (the) public, rank and file; bourgeoisie, middle class, working class; dregs, (the) herd, (the) mob, rabble, rabblement, riffraff, scum, trash

NOBILITY Defined for English Language Learners

nobility

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noun

Definition of nobility for English Language Learners

: the quality or state of being noble in character or quality
the nobility : the group of people who are members of the highest social class in some countries