- a socially or politically privileged class whose titles are conferred by descent or by royal decree
- the state or quality of being morally or spiritually good; dignity: the nobility of his mind
- (in the British Isles) the class of people holding the titles of dukes, marquesses, earls, viscounts, or barons and their feminine equivalents collectively; peerage
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
no•bil•i•ty /noʊˈbɪlɪti/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- the noble, or highest social, class, or the body of nobles in a country.
- the state or quality of being noble.
- nobleness of mind, character, or spirit.
no•bil•i•ty
(nō bil′i tē),USA pronunciation n., pl. -ties.
- the noble class or the body of nobles in a country.
- British Terms(in Britain) the peerage.
- the state or quality of being noble.
- nobleness of mind, character, or spirit;
exalted moral excellence. - grandeur or magnificence.
- noble birth or rank.
- Latin nōbilitās. See noble, -ity
- Middle English nobilite 1350–1400
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
nobility /nəʊˈbɪlɪtɪ/ n ( pl -ties)
'nobility' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
aristocracy
- baron
- Caesar
- chevalier
- commoner
- duke
- ennoble
- gentry
- hero
- hidalgo
- lord
- noblesse oblige
- palace
- peer
- purple
- soul
- soulless
- sublime
- title
- Adelaide
- ancienne noblesse
- antihero
- boyar
- chamberlain
- cloak-and-sword
- countess
- dignity
- elevation
- ess
- Eugenia
- fifth estate
- Graf
- magnanimous
- magnificence
- morganatic
- nobiliary
- plebs
- prince
- rabble
- ritter
- royalty
- titled
- von
- Shih Tzu