ignoble

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French ignoble, from Latin ignōbilis, from in- (“not”) + gnōbilis, later nōbilis (“noble”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈnəʊbəl/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪɡˈnoʊbəl/
• Rhymes: -əʊbəl

Adjective

ignoble (comparative ignobler, superlative ignoblest)

1. Not noble; plebeian; common.
   • c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]:

     I was not ignoble of descent.

2. Not honorable; base.
   • 1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies. […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]:

     A base, ignoble mind, / That mounts no higher than a bird can soar.

   • 1750 June 12 (date written; published 1751), T[homas] Gray, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard”, in Designs by Mr. R[ichard] Bentley, for Six Poems by Mr. T. Gray, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley, […], published 1753, →OCLC:

     far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife

3. Not a true or "noble" falcon; said of certain hawks, such as the goshawk.
4. (chemistry) Of an element, dangerously reactive.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:ignoble.

Synonyms

• (common): common, plebeian, vulgar
• (not honorable): degenerate, mean, base, vile, low-minded, reproachful, shameful, disgraceful

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “common”): noble
• (antonym(s) of “not honorable”): noble, honorable

Derived terms

• ignobility
• ignobleness
• ignobly

Translations

not noble; plebeian; common

Assamese: ইতৰ (itor) Bulgarian: неблагороден (bg) (neblagoroden), простонароден (bg) (prostonaroden) Finnish: alhaissyntyinen French: indigne (fr) Greek: αγενής (el) m or f (agenís) Ancient: ἀγεννής (agennḗs) Hindi: अनार्य (hi) (anārya), अकुलीन (hi) (akulīn), सर्वसाधारण (hi) (sarvasādhāraṇ), अशिष्ट (hi) (aśiṣṭ) Irish: anuasal Japanese: 平凡な (ja) (heibon na), 庶民の (ja) (shomin no) Latin: ignobilis Manx: neuooasle, anooasle, meeooasle Portuguese: ignóbil (pt) Russian: простонародный (ru) (prostonarodnyj) Spanish: innoble (es)

not honorable

Bulgarian: низък (bg) (nizǎk), долен (bg) (dolen) Dutch: oneervol (nl) Esperanto: malnobla Finnish: halpamainen (fi), alhainen (fi), matalamielinen (fi) French: ignoble (fr) Greek: πρόστυχος (el) m (próstychos), άτιμος (el) m (átimos) Ancient: ἀγεννής (agennḗs) Hindi: अप्रतिष्ठित (hi) (apratiṣṭhit), नीच (hi) (nīc), अनार्य (hi) (anārya) Irish: tútach Japanese: 卑しい (ja) (iyashii), 汚い (ja) (kitanai), 醜い (ja) (minikui) Ottoman Turkish: طمرسز (damarsız) Polish: niecny (pl) Russian: посты́дный (ru) (postýdnyj), ни́зкий (ru) (nízkij) Slovene: nečasten m Spanish: innoble (es) Swedish: simpel (sv), tarvlig (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Scottish Gaelic: (please verify) mì-uasal

Verb

ignoble (third-person singular simple present ignobles, present participle ignobling, simple past and past participle ignobled)

1. To make ignoble; to bring low.

Anagrams

• Gobelin, gobline, inglobe

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French ignoble, borrowed from Latin ignōbilis, from in- (“not”) + gnōbilis, later nōbilis (“noble”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i.ɲɔbl/

Adjective

ignoble (plural ignobles)

1. disgusting, repulsive, horrible

Further reading

• “ignoble”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• gobelin