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

Given the vast wealth gap between likely patrons and these portrait-subjects, the question creates an inescapable aura of noblesse oblige.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2023

But there is no noblesse oblige or courtly love, no dragons, witchy women or aggrandizing British accents.

From New York Times • Oct. 13, 2021

In history class, when young Elena had learned the term noblesse oblige, she’d understood it at once.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng