ennoble
verb
en·no·ble i-ˈnō-bəl 
e-ˈnō-
ennobled; ennobling i-ˈnō-b(ə-)liŋ
e-ˈnō-
transitive verb
1
: to make noble : elevate
seemed ennobled by suffering
2
: to raise to the rank of nobility
ennoblement
i-ˈnō-bəl-mənt
noun e-ˈnō-
Synonyms
- aggrandize
- canonize
- deify
- dignify
- elevate
- enshrine
- ensky
- enthrone
- exalt
- glorify
- magnify
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a life ennobled by suffering Her skill and talent ennoble her profession. He was ennobled by the queen.
Recent Examples on the Web In its lavish display of thriving life, the greenery seems both to reflect her fate and to ennoble her immediate experience. 
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022 Set aside for a moment the fact that the conduct of a war can ennoble even when the outcome is likely doomed, as is generally believed of the Ukrainians, led by the astonishing Volodymyr Zelensky. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2022 At the same time, the religious elements in Crossroads work to ennoble the minutiae that Franzen embraces at last. Becca Rothfeld, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2021 Donald Trump did not heroically take up the cross of COVID-19 in order to ennoble or inspire the masses to reclaim their lives. Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2020 Ruin is ennobled without being prettified, aestheticized, pushed into the mental distance. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2020 The parasocial nature of fan-artist bonds, in which followers invest one-sided emotional energy into the relationship, ennobles celebrities’ words. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2020 As Cromwell has grown in the public’s esteem, so has Mantel; in 2014, she was ennobled by the Queen who now sits on Henry’s throne, entitled to call herself Dame Hilary. Dan Stewart, Time, 6 Mar. 2020 On a beautiful afternoon last September, Fiennes drove me from his house to the grounds of Holkham Hall, which was built by the Coke family, who were ennobled as the Earls of Leicester by King George II, in 1744. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2020 See More
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 5 May 2022 Set aside for a moment the fact that the conduct of a war can ennoble even when the outcome is likely doomed, as is generally believed of the Ukrainians, led by the astonishing Volodymyr Zelensky. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 14 Mar. 2022 At the same time, the religious elements in Crossroads work to ennoble the minutiae that Franzen embraces at last. Becca Rothfeld, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2021 Donald Trump did not heroically take up the cross of COVID-19 in order to ennoble or inspire the masses to reclaim their lives. Joel Mathis, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2020 Ruin is ennobled without being prettified, aestheticized, pushed into the mental distance. Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2020 The parasocial nature of fan-artist bonds, in which followers invest one-sided emotional energy into the relationship, ennobles celebrities’ words. Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2020 As Cromwell has grown in the public’s esteem, so has Mantel; in 2014, she was ennobled by the Queen who now sits on Henry’s throne, entitled to call herself Dame Hilary. Dan Stewart, Time, 6 Mar. 2020 On a beautiful afternoon last September, Fiennes drove me from his house to the grounds of Holkham Hall, which was built by the Coke family, who were ennobled as the Earls of Leicester by King George II, in 1744. Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2020 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English ennobelen, from Middle French ennoblir, from Old French, from en- + noble noble
First Known Use
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
ennobles
verb
as in elevates
to assign a high status or value to the heroic actions of firefighters during the terrorist attack did much to ennoble the profession of fire fighting in the public mind Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- elevates
- dignifies
- promotes
- exalts
- lifts
- aggrandizes
- deifies
- enthrones
- enshrines
- glorifies
- magnifies
- canonizes
- uplifts
- honors
- boosts
- heightens
- praises
- raises
- upgrades
- intensifies
- enskies
- romanticizes
- idealizes
- sanitizes
- lauds
- extols
- acclaims
- sugarcoats
- extolls
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- demeans
- humbles
- humiliates
- abases
- minimizes
- detracts
- belittles
- disparages
- degrades
- depreciates
- decries