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noblesse oblige
[ noh-bles oh-bleezh; French naw-bles aw-bleezh ]
noun
- the moral obligation of those of high birth, powerful social position, etc., to act with honor, kindliness, generosity, etc.
noblesse oblige
/ nəʊˈblɛs əʊˈbliːʒ; nɔblɛs ɔbliʒ /
noun
- ironic.the supposed obligation of nobility to be honourable and generous
noblesse oblige
- The belief that the wealthy and privileged are obliged to help those less fortunate. From French, meaning “nobility obligates.”
Word History and Origins
Origin of noblesse oblige1
Word History and Origins
Origin of noblesse oblige1
Example Sentences
In an update of Nancy Mitford's 'Noblesse Oblige', The Telegraph has this handy guide, entitled, “What type of RP do you speak?”
What if charity—giving out of love or noblesse oblige or religious commitment—doesn't go far enough?
Mitt Romney started off this campaign cycle as a noblesse oblige candidate.
Yet he saw in it no inconsistencies and, as men go (and as I have known them), the code had certain qualities of noblesse oblige.
It is the old noblesse oblige under new conditions of privilege.
When our credit played out there, Liverpool, whose stomach overshadowed his sensations of noblesse oblige, married Chica.
But the courtly young Frenchman had quite as great a sense of noblesse oblige as his bride.
The unhappy lady—perhaps by subtle operation of the principle noblesse oblige—retained some degree of vivacity.
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