highborn

[ hahy-bawrn ]

adjective

1. of high rank by birth.

highborn

/ ˈhaɪˌbɔːn /

adjective

1. of noble or aristocratic birth

Word History and Origins

Origin of highborn¹

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; high, born

Example Sentences

Targaryens often place dragon eggs in cribs with their highborn babies with the hope that their hatchlings will naturally bond with them, which doesn’t always happen.

From Salon

All this highborn posturing has a steep price in human lives, reminding us that viewing violence as entertainment isn’t a noble impulse.

From Salon

Ships, especially warships, were microcosms of society at large, filled with young boys and teenagers and old men, the uneducated and the highborn, all speaking a particular language.

From Washington Post

Historically, British queens have tapped highborn “ladies-in-waiting” to provide company to the monarch and serve as personal assistants and loyal friends.

From Washington Post

He signs his poems — and, later, his scabrous articles in the Parisian press — Lucien de Rubempré, using his highborn mother’s maiden name.

From New York Times