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🌟 To give honor 👑 To give a title
to ennoble

to ennoble

1 7.9
Make someone or something seem better in character and more respected
  • verb
  • /ɪˈnoʊbəl/
  • Formal
translation icon : ennoblecer
  • Death is lamented; the dead are mourned and remembered in a selective manner, one that generally elevates and ennobles them, and in which admirable traits and heroic deeds are foregrounded.

They have books and people write them and then they ennoble them.

Examples

  • Love is a purifying influence... that ennobles the heart of man.

    Moulin Rouge (1952)

  • In the best of all worlds, judges would ennoble their colleagues at the bar, leading by example in demonstrating that rational beings can disagree without being disagreeable.

    Academic text (1994)

  • "Books are supposed to ennoble people," she said.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • She told me the school was supposed to ennoble children the way the church does.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Indeed, it is still the museum that ennobles objects and their collectors.

    Academic text (2006)

  • The key to Hamilton's scheme was to ennoble the commercial enterprise by making its goals lofty.

    Academic text (1993)

  • They ennoble us.

    Academic text (2000)

  • Your improbable life has ennobled each of us by virtue of your idealism, your hard work, and your special spark.

  • The Christian tincture would ennoble the toils of his followers, and could not help but make an impression on his antagonists.

    Academic text (2003)

  • Philanthropy can truly ennoble the lives of those who receive help.

Synonyms

to entitle
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
65 5.9

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

confers honor and also aims to improve moral quality and standing
to elevate
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
52 4.4

To give someone a higher job or rank

emphasises social rank increase rather than inner character change
to exalt
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
21 7.2

To raise someone to a higher position or praise them strongly

focuses more on conferring honor and elevated character than mere praise
to dignify
vsto ennoble
20 5.1

To show that someone or something deserves respect

while the other also gives a formal rank rather than only respectful treatment
to knight
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
16 6.2

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

is broader, adding honor or elevated character beyond a single rank
to lord
vsto ennoble
  • Formal
15 8.2

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

focuses on raising dignity and moral worth, not only granting a title

Antonyms

to degrade
55 5.1

To treat someone so they feel ashamed or less respected

to dishonor
  • US
48 5.3

To make someone or something lose respect by bad action

How Noble

to exalt
  • Literature
6 8.1
to ennoble
  • Formal
1 7.9
to refine
93 4.0
to improve
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

ennoble = noble (transparent) = en + noble

Regular 'en-' derivation from the adjective 'noble' meaning 'to make noble in quality or status', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

Ennoble combines en- 'to make' with noble 'honored' or 'of high character'. So to ennoble someone is to give them honor or raise their character, making them more noble.