ignoble
- adjective
- /ɪɡˈnoʊbəl/
:
ignoble
- Prior, there had generally been two classes: those who owned land were the noble -- everybody else, ignoble.
- noble and ignoble
Examples
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Leave the ignoble greeks to their ways.
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Despite his ignoble origins, he rose to become a respected leader in the community.
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You can see how humble, how ignoble it is.
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The noble and the ignoble.
Academic text (1996) -
If the bliny were meant exclusively for the ignoble satisfaction of the stomach, then let's face it, neither the mystery, nor the nighttime activities, nor the suffering would be comprehensible...
Fiction book (1996) -
Our informant was born in 1560 (amidst allegations of illegitimacy due to ignoble associations of one parent) to a family related to Queen Elizabeth and spent his life falling in and out of favor with the royal court.
Academic text (1997) -
The grandeur, heroic manliness, and magnanimity of the Igbo's traditional world are replaced by ignoble concerns and a humbling equality, insofar as everyone is to be restrained and meek.
Academic text (1999) -
His ignoble behavior during the meeting surprised everyone, as he had always been known for his integrity.
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She came from an ignoble background but worked hard to achieve her dreams.
Synonyms
91
3.4
From a low social rank or simple background
46
4.2
A person of low rank or importance, for example a servant
1
7.4
A person from a family that is not rich or important
1
6.7
A person who does not have a noble title
From a common family, not of noble birth
A person born into a common family, not noble
Antonyms
How Noble
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Ignoble comes from the Latin parts in- 'not' and nobilis 'noble' or 'famous', the same root as noble. So an ignoble birth was literally 'not noble' and meant someone had no title or high rank.