nobility
n. uncountablen. the group of people who have high social titles, like kings, queens, or lords. It can also mean the quality of being very honest, brave, and good.
n. the social class consisting of people with hereditary or honorary titles; alternatively, the quality of being morally superior or magnificent. Often used with the definite article when referring to the social class.
The local nobility lived in the large castle on the hill.
Historians often study how the European nobility maintained their political influence during the transition to modern democracy.
True nobility is found not in a person's ancestral lineage or inherited wealth, but in their consistent display of integrity and self-sacrifice for the benefit of others.
From Old French nobilité, from Latin nobilitas. Equivalent to noble + -ity.
Uncountable when referring to the abstract quality of character; can function as a collective noun when referring to the social class.