ignoble

[ ig-noh-buhl ]

adjective

1. of low character, aims, etc.; mean; base:

   his ignoble purposes.

   Synonyms: contemptible, ignominious, dishonorable, degraded

   Antonyms: honorable

2. of low grade or quality; inferior.

   Antonyms: superior

3. not noble; of humble descent or rank.

   Synonyms: peasant, plebeian, obscure, lowly

4. Falconry. noting any hawk with short wings that chases or rakes after the quarry.

ignoble

/ ɪɡˈnəʊbəl /

adjective

1. dishonourable; base; despicable
2. of low birth or origins; humble; common
3. of low quality; inferior
4. falconry
   1. designating short-winged hawks that capture their quarry by swiftness and adroitness of flight Compare noble
   2. designating quarry which is inferior or unworthy of pursuit by a particular species of hawk or falcon

Derived Forms

• igˈnobly, adverb
• ˌignoˈbility, noun

Other Words From

• igno·bili·ty ig·noble·ness noun
• ig·nobly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of ignoble¹

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin ignōbilis unknown, inglorious, equivalent to in- in- ³ + OL gnōbilis ( Latin nōbilis ) noble

Word History and Origins

Origin of ignoble¹

C16: from Latin ignōbilis, from in- ¹+ Old Latin gnōbilis noble

Example Sentences

Former President Trump’s conviction on 34 criminal counts of falsifying business records in New York is an ignoble first.

From Los Angeles Times

Simple, ignoble, under-appreciated green cabbage: It has got to be one of the most unpretentious and humblest in all of the Cruciferae family, if not among the entire vegetable kingdom.

From Salon

In “Monolith,” a single-setting thriller from the Australian director Matt Vesely, a recently disgraced investigative journalist attempts to salvage her career by accepting an ignoble and humiliating task: starting a podcast.

From New York Times

Poverty, crime and an ignoble moniker — “Scary Gary” — deter private investors and prospective homeowners.

From New York Times

He asserted that pretty much all accounts of cannibalism are hearsay, a propaganda tool by scholars of the British Empire to help tame the ignoble savage.

From New York Times