01 n. The quality or state of being noble; superiority of mind or of character; commanding excellence; eminence.
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1.
The quality or state of being noble; superiority of mind or of character; commanding excellence; eminence.“Though she hated Amphialus, yet the nobility of her courage prevailed over it.” — Sir P. Sidney.“They thought it great their sovereign to control, And named their pride nobility of soul.” — Dryden.
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2.
The state of being of high rank or noble birth; patrician dignity; antiquity of family; distinction by rank, station, or title, whether inherited or conferred.“I fell on the same argument of preferring virtue to nobility of blood and titles, in the story of Sigismunda.” — Dryden.
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3.
Those who are noble; the collective body of nobles or titled persons in a state; the aristocratic and patrician class; the peerage; as, the English nobility.