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Glite Dictionary
🌟 To give honor 👑 To give a title
to ennoble

to ennoble

1 8.5
Give someone a title such as lord or lady
  • verb
  • /ɪˈnoʊbəl/
  • Formal
: ennoblecer
  • The king decided to ennoble her for her bravery during the war.

Joseph himself was eventually promoted to Corvette captain and was even ennobled to Georg Ritter von Trapp.

Examples

  • Joseph himself was eventually promoted to Corvette captain and was even ennobled to Georg Ritter von Trapp.

    The Great War

  • Ennobled.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Hugo attempts to ennoble him posthumously by "inventing brave stories for his friend" and "tripling his accomplishments" (207).

    Academic text (2014)

  • After many years of service, the general was ennobled by the queen and given a prestigious title.

  • The council agreed to ennoble the scientist whose discoveries benefited the entire kingdom.

Synonyms

to create
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
497 6.8

To give someone a new official title in a formal ceremony

is narrower, focusing on granting aristocratic or hereditary rank
to entitle
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
65 5.9

Give someone a title that makes them part of the noble class

is the specific traditional term for granting aristocratic rank
to elevate
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
52 4.4

To give someone a higher job or rank

means raising specifically into hereditary or aristocratic rank
to knight
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
16 6.2

To give someone the title Sir in a formal ceremony by the monarch

concerns giving aristocratic rank rather than this ceremonial honour
to lord
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
15 8.2

To give someone a title from a king that gives them power and respect

applies more broadly to granting aristocratic status rather than one title
to gentle
vsto ennoble
  • Archaic
1 9.9

To make someone a member of the noble class

is the general modern act of granting aristocratic rank
to baronetize
vsto ennoble
  • UK
9.9

To give someone a title of honour that can be passed to their children

refers to granting aristocratic rank in general, not one minor title

Antonyms

to humiliate
  • Offensive
414 6.1

Make someone feel very ashamed and foolish, often in front of others

to degrade
55 5.1

To treat someone so they feel ashamed or less respected

How Noble

to exalt
  • Formal
21 7.2
to ennoble
  • Formal
1 8.5
to elevate
  • Formal
52 4.4
to promote
182 2.9
to honor
  • US
796 2.3

Surface Forms

ennoble infinitive
ennobled past
ennobled past participle
ennobling present participle
ennobles third person singular

Morphology

ennoble = noble (transparent) = en + noble

Productive verb formation 'en-' + 'noble' yields 'to make noble' (either by granting title or conferring dignity), so learners can derive the meaning from the adjective.

Etymology

Ennoble comes from the prefix en- meaning 'to make' and the word noble meaning 'high-born' or 'honored'. So to ennoble someone is to 'make' them noble by giving a title or rank.