nobility

noun

no·​bil·​i·​ty nō-ˈbi-lə-tē How to pronounce nobility (audio)
Synonyms of nobilitynext
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

Synonyms of nobility

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of nobility in a Sentence

the nobility of his character They have shown great courage and nobility of purpose.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Working as a portraitist, she was commissioned by university scholars and local nobility in Bologna, the Italian city where she was born. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026 He was branded a heretic, in part for preaching that the nobility were immoral and so was nobility itself. — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 28 Aug. 2026 Originally published in Esquire magazine, this group portrait of jazz nobility was photographed at 17 East 126th Street in New York City. — David Morgan, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026 The idea is to portray them with the same nobility and dignity as the figures of the great masters. — Robbie Griffiths, NPR, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for nobility

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of nobility was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing nobility

Rhymes for nobility

See All Rhymes for nobility

Browse Nearby Words

nobilitate
nobility
nobiscum Deus
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nobility.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nobility. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

nobility

noun
no·​bil·​i·​ty nō-ˈbil-ət-ē How to pronounce nobility (audio)
plural nobilities
1
: the quality or state of being noble
nobility of character
2
: the body of persons forming the noble class in a country or state
a member of the nobility

More from Merriam-Webster on nobility

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about nobility

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of apiary

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All