Noble — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective noun /ˈnō-bəl/ no·ble

Meaning & Definition of Noble

Noble (adjective)

  1. possessing outstanding qualities (as of dignity or decency)
  2. possessing, characterized by, arising from, or indicating superiority of mind or character or of ideals or morals, lofty
  3. of high birth or exalted rank, aristocratic

Noble (noun)

  1. a person of noble rank or birth
  2. an old English gold coin equivalent to 6 shillings and 8 pence

Noble (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. of high birth, rank, or station

    "despite his noble background, the prince is known for his unpretentious way with common people"

    similar: aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, gentle, grand, great, highborn, highbred, patrician, silk-stocking, upper-class, upper-crust, wellborn
    related: high, lofty, superior, elevated, ennobled, exalted, gentlemanly, kingly, knightly, ladylike, lordly, princely, queenly, regal, royal, high-level, senior
    opposite: baseborn, common, humble, ignoble, low, lower-class, lowly, mean, nonaristocratic, plebeian, ungenteel
    near: inferior, knavish, bastard, illegitimate, ordinary, plain, abased, degraded, junior, subordinate

  2. having, characterized by, or arising from a dignified and generous nature

    "the factory owner had a kind, noble disposition that showed in his unstinting generosity toward the poor"

    "our country was founded on the noble ideas that are put forth in the Founding Fathers' writings"

    similar: big, chivalrous, elevated, gallant, great, greathearted, high, high-minded, lofty, lordly, magnanimous, natural, sublime
    related: ennobled, exalted, glorified, heroic, honorable, valiant, venerable, worthy, knightly, princely, regal, inspiring, moving, numinous, uplifting, august, magnificent, majestic
    opposite: base, debased, degenerate, degraded, ignoble, low
    near: sordid, squalid, vile, wretched, abominable, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hateful, offensive, repulsive, ugly, vicious, dastardly, dirty, lousy, sorry, little, mean, narrow, small-minded, degrading, discreditable, humiliating, ignominious, coarse, crude, vulgar

  3. following the accepted rules of moral conduct

    "his noble behavior even as he was being unjustly attacked by his political opponents"

    similar: decent, ethical, honest, honorable, just, principled, respectable, righteous, stand-up, upright, upstanding
    related: blameless, guiltless, irreproachable, unassailable, unimpeachable, chivalrous, classy, high-minded, menschy, right-minded, conscientious, fair, good, incorruptible, moral, reputable, respected, scrupulous, uncorrupted, virtuous, decorous, nice, polite, proper, seemly
    opposite: base, dishonest, dishonorable, ignoble, low, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unworthy
    near: bad, blackguardly, corrupt, criminal, crooked, evil, immoral, iniquitous, knavish, mean, nefarious, rascally, reprehensible, roguish, rotten, scoundrelly, sinful, unfair, unscrupulous, vile, villainous, wicked, wretched, blamable, blameworthy, censurable, culpable, debased, debauched, decadent, degenerate, degraded, demoralized, depraved, disgraceful, disreputable, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, loose, perverse, perverted, profligate, reprobate, shameful, venal

  4. large and impressive in size, grandeur, extent, or conception

    "Peter the Great's plan to build for Russia a capital city as noble as any in Europe"

    similar: august, baronial, epic, gallant, glorious, grand, grandiose, heroic, Homeric, imperial, imposing, magnific, magnificent, majestic, massive, monumental, proud, regal, royal, splendid, stately
    related: colossal, monstrous, prodigious, stupendous, tremendous, kingly, lordly, princely, queenly, awesome, awful, cosmic, sublime, wondrous, formidable, impressive, prepossessing, redoubtable, apocalyptic, inflated, operatic, overblown, pompous, marvelous, superb, terrific, wonderful, extravagant, lavish, luxurious, opulent, palatial, palatine, sumptuous, gorgeous, resplendent, splendiferous, extraordinary, killer, remarkable, sensational, striking, celestial, divine, heavenly
    opposite: humble, unheroic, unimposing, unimpressive
    near: lowly, modest, unprepossessing, average, common, mediocre, ordinary, run-of-the-mill, second-rate, abject, mean, meretricious, shabby, sordid, insignificant, measly, paltry, petty, puny, trifling, trivial

  5. of the very best kind

    "a noble racehorse"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), par excellence, peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

  6. standing above others in rank, importance, or achievement

    "a noble professor known internationally for his medical research"

    similar: astral, bright, distinguished, eminent, illustrious, luminous, notable, noteworthy, outstanding, preeminent, prestigious, redoubtable, signal, star, superior
    related: celebrated, exalted, famed, famous, glorious, honored, renowned, reputable, infamous, notorious, dominant, paramount, predominant
    near: insignificant, minor, unimportant, average, inferior, mediocre, obscure, uncelebrated, unsung

Noble (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a man or woman of high birth or social position

    "an elite school for children of nobles"

    similar: aristocrat, blue blood, gentle, gentleperson, patrician
    related: socialite, swell, magnate, magnifico, mogul, nabob, gentlefolk
    near: canaille, commoner, pleb, plebeian, proletarian, roturier, boor, fellah, peasant, peon

Related Entry: Noble savage (noun)

Noble savage is a different word from Noble. The synonyms below are for noble savage, not for noble.

  1. as in savage, barbarian

    similar: barbarian, heathen, savage, Neanderthal, primitive

Related Entry: Noble savages (noun)

Noble savages is a different word from Noble. The synonyms below are for noble savages, not for noble.

  1. as in savages, barbarians

    similar: barbarians, heathens, savages, Neanderthals, primitives

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Noble

The most common words with a similar meaning to Noble:

Slang: boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous, gone, hype, out-of-sight, phat, primo, radical, righteous
Chiefly British: bonny, topping, wizard
aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, gentle, grand, great, highborn, highbred, patrician, silk-stocking, upper-class, upper-crust, wellborn, big, chivalrous, elevated, gallant, greathearted, high, high-minded, lofty, lordly, magnanimous, natural, sublime, decent, ethical, honest, honorable, just, principled, respectable, stand-up, upright, upstanding, august, baronial, epic, glorious, grandiose

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Noble

Words with the opposite meaning of Noble:

baseborn, common, humble, ignoble, low, lower-class, lowly, mean, nonaristocratic, plebeian, ungenteel, base, debased, degenerate, degraded, dishonest, dishonorable, unethical, unjust, unprincipled, unrighteous, unworthy, unheroic, unimposing, unimpressive, atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic

Related Words for Noble

ennobled, exalted, gentlemanly, kingly, knightly, ladylike, princely, queenly, high-level, senior, glorified, valiant, venerable, worthy, inspiring, moving, numinous, uplifting, blameless, guiltless, irreproachable, unassailable, unimpeachable, classy, menschy, right-minded, conscientious, fair, good, incorruptible

Near Antonyms of Noble

inferior, knavish, bastard, illegitimate, ordinary, plain, abased, junior, subordinate, sordid, squalid, abominable, contemptible, despicable, detestable, hateful, offensive, repulsive, ugly, vicious, dastardly, dirty, sorry, little, narrow, small-minded, degrading, discreditable, humiliating, ignominious

Word Forms of Noble

Inflections: nobler, noblest

Derived words: nobleness (noun), nobly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Noble

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin nobilis well-known, noble, from noscere to come to know know

First known use: 13th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Noble

Words & Phrases Containing Noble

noble gas, noble rot, noble savage

Frequently Asked Questions about Noble

What does "Noble" mean?

"Noble" means possessing outstanding qualities (as of dignity or decency). As an an adjective and a noun, it is defined as: possessing outstanding qualities (as of dignity or decency). It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Noble"?

Other words for "Noble" include aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, gentle, grand, great, highborn and highbred. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Noble" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Noble"?

There are 269 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Noble". Common alternatives include aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, gentle, grand, great, highborn, highbred, patrician and silk-stocking.

What is a slang word for "Noble"?

Slang words for "Noble" include boss, cool, dope, down, fantabulous and gone.

What is the opposite of "Noble"?

Antonyms of "Noble" include baseborn, common, humble, ignoble, low, lower-class, lowly and mean. Near antonyms include inferior, knavish, bastard and illegitimate.

How do you use "Noble" in a sentence?

Examples of "Noble" in a sentence: "despite his noble background, the prince is known for his unpretentious way with common people"; "the factory owner had a kind, noble disposition that showed in his unstinting generosity toward the poor"; "our country was founded on the noble ideas that are put forth in the Founding Fathers' writings".

Is "Noble" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Noble" can be used as an adjective and a noun, depending on the context.

Is "Noble" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Noble" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.