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' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Adelaide
- Caesar
- Eugenia
- Graf
- Shih Tzu
- ancienne noblesse
- antihero
- aristocracy
- baron
- boyar
- chamberlain
- chevalier
- cloak-and-sword
- commoner
- countess
- dignity
- duke
- elevation
- ennoble
- ess
- fifth estate
- gentry
- hero
- hidalgo
- lord
- magnanimous
- magnificence
- morganatic
- nobiliary
- noblesse oblige
- palace
- peer
- plebs
- prince
- purple
- rabble
- ritter
- royalty
- soul
- soulless
- sublime
- title
- titled
- von