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HOW TO PRONOUNCE

Noblesse Oblige

/noʊˌblɛs əˈbliʒ/

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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:57
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What does Noblesse Oblige mean?

noun

  1. The honourable obligation that is the responsibility of those of high rank; in American English this often includes the expectation of benevolent actions such as helping those less fortunate.

Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0

IPA pronunciation

/noʊˌblɛs əˈbliʒ/

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0

Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.

In the pages of books

See this word in context.

There are the nobly proud, whose conception of "ought," of "noblesse oblige," makes them the real aristocrats of the race.
Abraham MyersonThe Foundations of PersonalityProject Gutenberg ebook #1575
As for you and me, noblesse oblige’—he watched me narrowly.
Willa CatherMy ÁntoniaProject Gutenberg ebook #242
More book examples (2)
He was violating the noblesse oblige of his guild.
Willa CatherThe Song of the LarkProject Gutenberg ebook #44
Noblesse oblige: the duke and his ancestors had been for centuries the chief pillars of the Church of Scotland, and it was too much to expect that he could break away from a tenet which forms really its "chief cornerstone."
Andrew Dickson WhiteHistory of the Warfare of Science with Theology in ChristendomProject Gutenberg ebook #505