French word

ignoble

Pronunciation

IPA/iɲɔbl/

Meaning

  • adjectivedespicable

Example

Son comportement est ignoble.

His behavior is despicable.

Illustration for ignoble (despicable)

More examples

Elle a reçu une insulte ignoble.

She received a vile insult.

Core concept

A person or act that abandons moral decency and sinks to contemptible behavior.

Common phrases

  • un traitement ignoble

    vile treatment

  • une insulte ignoble

    a vile insult

  • être ignoble

    be vile

Similar words

méprisable: Deserving contempt and unworthy of respect or trust.
détestable: So hateful or intolerable that it provokes intense disgust or hatred.
vil: Morally low, with a mean or degrading attitude and manner of speaking.
odieux: Extremely offensive and likely to provoke intense anger or disgust.

Definition in French

Exprime un manque de noblesse morale chez une personne ou une action, impliquant une bassesse.

Word origin

French ignoble comes from Latin ignobilis, formed with in- 'not' and nobilis 'noble', and passed through Old French.

Usage tips

  • Ignoble is a strong condemnatory adjective in French, so it conveys more severe moral contempt than a neutral word for something unpleasant.

Other meanings

  • baseadjective
  • lowlyadjective

Opposites

Word lists with this word