noblesse oblige

noun

no·​blesse oblige nō-ˈbles-ə-ˈblēzh 

: the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior associated with high rank or birth

Did you know?

Noblesse Oblige Has French Origins

In French, noblesse oblige means literally "nobility obligates." French speakers transformed the phrase into a noun, which English speakers picked up in the 19th century. Then, as now, noblesse oblige referred to the unwritten obligation of people from a noble ancestry to act honorably and generously to others. Later, by extension, it also came to refer to the obligation of anyone who is in a better position than others—due, for example, to high office or celebrity—to act respectably and responsibly.

Examples of noblesse oblige in a Sentence

He was raised to have a strong sense of noblesse oblige.

Recent Examples on the Web

The proposals appear to be motivated by a sincere desire to bring an end to the strike, coupled with a sense of noblesse oblige, suggesting that high-earning actors should sacrifice to reach that resolution. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 19 Oct. 2023

Today, Beek and his family run it out of a sense of noblesse oblige. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2023

Then the Consolers smile, noblesse oblige. —Armond White, National Review, 18 May 2022

This is the opposite of noblesse oblige. —Armond White, National Review, 23 Oct. 2020

Even when the theme isn’t noble, a strange sense of noblesse oblige, of privileged people privileging people with culture, redeems it. —Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2023

Her new role obligated her to master a shifting vocabulary of noblesse oblige. —Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 16 Jan. 2023

Voting for a Bush meant voting for the establishment, for ethics and noblesse oblige. —Dallas News, 28 May 2022

One feels in Chiang Mai the same sense of pride, of noblesse oblige, that one senses in other ancient cities with wealthy, royal pasts, like, say, Jaipur and Kyoto; this is a storied place. —Hanya Yanagihara, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2022

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, nobility obligates

First Known Use

1849, in the meaning defined above