noblesse

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Mr. Broderick, himself a sometime movie star, brings a slyly funny air of noblesse oblige that dovetails amusingly with Jay’s pompous, blinkered dimness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

When Pritzker finds himself explaining why he does what he does, he often falls back on the vague language of noblesse oblige—that “we” have a responsibility to “lift up” or “stand up” for “the vulnerable.”

From Slate • Sep. 18, 2025

It's the "noblesse oblige" posturing of 19th-century industrialists, who pretended that building a few museums made up for grinding underpaid workers into dust.

From Salon • Oct. 12, 2023

Today, Beek and his family run it out of a sense of noblesse oblige.

From Los Angeles Times • May 9, 2023

Victor III was far more enlightened, but his liberalism was paternalistic, rooted in noblesse oblige.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson