ennoble

E1N1N1O1B3L1E1
/ɪˈnəʊbəl/

verb

To bestow with nobility, honour or grace.

Similar
elevateinvestknightlordadvanceaggrandizedignifyexalt
OriginMiddle English ennoblen ← Old French ennoblir →
RareScrabble 9
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Meanings

verbennoble (third-person singular simple present ennobles, present participle ennobling, simple past and past participle ennobled)

present singular third person ennobles · participle present ennobling · participle past ennobled · past ennobled

  1. To bestow with nobility, honour or grace.

    We’d like to believe that suffering instructs and ennobles.

    2020, Francine Prose, “Has Trump learned anything from Covid-19? Absolutely not”, in The Grauniad
    1 more example

    There was no shortage of dropped jaws when news came through about the appointment of the recently ennobled Lord Peter Hendy as rail minister. This was certainly a left-field move, taking everyone (perhaps even himself) by surprise.

    2024 July 24, Christian Wolmar, “Rail Minister Hendy has a tough job... but the skills to succeed”, in RAIL, number 1014, page 44

    Synonyms: elevate, invest, knight, lord, advance, aggrandize, dignify, elevate

  2. To perform on a fabric the industrial processes of dry-cleaning, printing and embossing, and sizing and finishing.
  3. obsoletetransitivebiologyTo inarch.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace.

Similar
elevateinvestknightlordadvanceaggrandizedignifyelevateexalthonornobilitatepreferpromoteraiseuplift

More synonyms by meaning

verbconfer dignity or honor upon

Similar
dignify
Broader
honorhonourreward

verbgive a title to someone; make someone a member of the nobility

Similar
gentleentitle
Broader
promoteupgradeadvance
Also see
advanceaggrandizedignifyelevateentitleexaltgentlehonorlordnobilitatepreferpromoteraiseuplift

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Old Frenchennoblir
  2. Middle Englishennoblen
  3. Englishennoble

From Middle English ennoblen, from Old French ennoblir. Equivalent to en- + noble.

More words from Middle English, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian облагородявам
  • облагородявам (oblagorodjavam)To bestow with nobility, honour or grace
Finnish ylevöittää
  • ylevöittääTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
French anoblir
  • anoblirTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
German adeln, veredeln
  • adelnTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • veredelnto further process textile fabrics
Greek εξευγενίζω
  • εξευγενίζω (exevgenízo)To bestow with nobility, honour or grace
Hungarian nemesít, megnemesít
  • nemesítTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • megnemesítTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
Italian nobilitare
  • nobilitareTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
Māori whakarangatira
  • whakarangatiraTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
Norwegian adle
  • adleTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
Polish uszlachcać, uszlachcić
  • uszlachcaćTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • uszlachcićTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • uszlachetniaćTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • uszlachetnićTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • uwznioślaćTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • uwznioślićTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • nobilitowaćTo bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • uszlachetniać tkaninyto further process textile fabrics
  • uszlachetnić tkaninyto further process textile fabrics
Russian облагораживать
  • облагораживать (oblagoraživatʹ)To bestow with nobility, honour or grace
Ukrainian облагоро́джувати, облагоро́дити
  • облагоро́джувати (oblahoródžuvaty)To bestow with nobility, honour or grace
  • облагоро́дити (oblahoródyty)To bestow with nobility, honour or grace

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with ennoble

globalnobleChernobylignoble
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

ennoble. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ennoble

MLA

“ennoble.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ennoble. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ennoble,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ennoble.

Source: ennoble on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.