ignoble

ig·no·ble

adj \ig-ˈnō-bəl\

Definition of IGNOBLE

1

: of low birth or common origin : plebeian

2

: characterized by baseness, lowness, or meanness

— ig·no·bil·i·ty \ˌig-nō-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

— ig·no·ble·ness \ig-ˈnō-bəl-nəs\ noun

— ig·no·bly \-blē also -bə-lē\ adverb

Examples of IGNOBLE

1. <an ignoble child who would one day grow up to be a prince among playwrights>
2. <such an ignoble act is completely unworthy of a military officer>

Origin of IGNOBLE

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin ignobilis, from in- + Old Latin gnobilis noble

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to IGNOBLE

Synonyms: baseborn, common, humble, inferior, low, lowborn, lower-class, low-life, lowly, lumpen, mean, plebeian, prole, proletarian, unwashed, vulgar

Antonyms: aristocratic, blue-blooded, genteel, gentle, grand, great, high, highborn, highbred, lofty, noble, partrician, upper-class, upper-crust, wellborn

Related Words: bourgeois, middle-class; plain, poor, simple, working-class; déclassé, down-market, downscale

Near Antonyms: eminent, illustrious, notable, prominent

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with IGNOBLE

airmobile, ennoble, Grenoble, immobile