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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective noble differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of noble are ethical, moral, righteous, and virtuous. While all these words mean "conforming to a standard of what is right and good," noble implies moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean, or dubious in conduct and character.

had the noblest of reasons for seeking office

When might ethical be a better fit than noble?

The synonyms ethical and noble are sometimes interchangeable, but ethical may suggest the involvement of more difficult or subtle questions of rightness, fairness, or equity.

committed to the highest ethical principles

Where would moral be a reasonable alternative to noble?

While the synonyms moral and noble are close in meaning, moral implies conformity to established sanctioned codes or accepted notions of right and wrong.

the basic moral values of a community

When can righteous be used instead of noble?

Although the words righteous and noble have much in common, righteous stresses guiltlessness or blamelessness and often suggests the sanctimonious.

wished to be righteous before God and the world

When could virtuous be used to replace noble?

The words virtuous and noble can be used in similar contexts, but virtuous implies moral excellence in character.

not a religious person, but virtuous nevertheless

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of noble
Adjective
Any effort to save POWs floating in the ocean, while heroic and noble, proved fatal. Jeff Langholz, Sun Sentinel, 25 May 2025 Rios uses his voice and distinctive facial expressions to reveal both the noble and the intolerable facets of Oscar’s personality. Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 24 May 2025
Noun
While Henry worries about the risks of invasion by Spain or of a religious civil war, Cromwell, whom nobles nickname Crumb for his low birth, envisions a world that’s less beholden to ancient hierarchies. Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2025 In the past few centuries, land has changed hands on major scales: from nobles to commoners during the French Revolution, from Native peoples to European settlers in North America, and from the wealthy to the poor in China, Russia, and Mexico. The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for noble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for noble
Adjective
  • Don’t be fooled by its aristocratic interiors—rates start at around $180 per night—and be sure to make reservations at the hotel’s excellent Asturian restaurant, whose dishes spotlight local ingredients like sea urchin caviar and smoked Los Caserinos cheese.
    Siobhan Reid, Vogue, 28 May 2025
  • But instead of roaming around 18th century Europe fueled by an aristocratic family fortune, today’s Beautiful People (also called the BPs) are traveling the world and soaking up culture courtesy of big luxury brands.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 May 2025
Adjective
  • Ultimately, House Democrats approved the three main components of the plan by that margin or greater.
    Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 1 June 2025
  • The Seven of Pentacles is a gentle reminder that great things take time.
    Meghan Rose, Glamour, 1 June 2025
Adjective
  • The comparison with Lexus is honorable but not accurate.
    Josh Max, Forbes.com, 20 May 2025
  • We were honored because our parents were honorable.
    Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • In one of his only performances as an ostensibly normal guy, Cruise brings magnificent dirtbag energy to War of the Worlds' Ray, a working-class deadbeat dad whose one weekend with his kids (Dakota Fanning and Justin Chatwin) overlaps with an alien invasion.
    Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 24 May 2025
  • Heart rate rises, breath softens, and eyes glue to this magnificent 500-pound mammal that could rip me to pieces with the simple swipe of its striped paw.
    Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 23 May 2025
Adjective
  • My daughter came to live with us for nine wonderful years.
    Jack Lang, New York Times, 27 May 2025
  • Your wonderful dog may or may not hanker to break routine and go on holiday.
    John Oseid, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
Adjective
  • Lesser known, but no less distinguished, is Cesare Attolini.
    Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 24 May 2025
  • Father Roman, a distinguished figure with curly black hair and floor-sweeping black cassock, let us in.
    Michael Goldstein, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Noun
  • And again summer approaches and one must sift through all those spoiling invitations that inevitably come rolling in when one is an indolent (and impoverished) European aristocrat — who needs to freeload off the rich and hardworking.
    James Fallon, Footwear News, 24 May 2025
  • Much of Emilia’s intellectual curiosity and confidence comes from her stepfather, a Spanish speaking schoolteacher who marries her pregnant mother, a novice Catholic nun abandoned after a romance with a wealthy Chilean aristocrat.
    Anita Snow, Boston Herald, 9 May 2025
Adjective
  • This includes New Jersey, which boasts the highest average earnings in the U.S. Higher wages can often result in better health insurance from an employer, less fear about medical debt and less reliance on state and federal health care services like Medicaid and Medicare.
    Sophie Clark, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 May 2025
  • Non-Maintainable Systems Lack of clean code structure, high entropy in the codebase, absence of modularity, dependency chaos, difficult debugging and lack of documentation can occur when applying vibe coding without a core engineering mindset.
    Naresh Prajapati, Forbes.com, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Noble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/noble. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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