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Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective ignoble differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of ignoble are abject, mean, and sordid. While all these words mean "being below the normal standards of human decency and dignity," ignoble suggests a loss or lack of some essential high quality of mind or spirit.

an ignoble scramble after material possessions

When would abject be a good substitute for ignoble?

In some situations, the words abject and ignoble are roughly equivalent. However, abject may imply degradation, debasement, or servility.

abject poverty

When could mean be used to replace ignoble?

The words mean and ignoble are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, mean suggests small-mindedness, ill temper, or cupidity.

mean and petty satire

When can sordid be used instead of ignoble?

The meanings of sordid and ignoble largely overlap; however, sordid is stronger than all of these in stressing physical or spiritual degradation and abjectness.

a sordid story of murder and revenge

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ignoble But for those who aren’t Third Reich completists, nor have any interest in historical fantasy that does little beyond embellishing Mengele’s ignoble reputation, this intellectually vacuous exercise can be tough to stomach — despite how well put together the whole thing is. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 20 May 2025 If this story were a parable, our hero would likely suffer some ignoble end as punishment for his moral failings. Hazlitt, 13 May 2025 Rudy Giuliani, who was once considered a national hero for his leadership during 9/11, and who went down in a spray of legal and financial troubles after tying himself to Trump, arguably represents a third category, of mayors who are both ignoble and indelible. Eric Lach, New Yorker, 5 May 2025 There’s an ignoble tradition of falsified memoirs. Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for ignoble
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ignoble
Adjective
  • Dew point values will be around 70 degrees, with heat index values climbing into the low 90s.
    Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2025
  • Consuming it with supplements that have the same effect could increase the risk for hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
    Roxana Ehsani, Health, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • Today's extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
  • Finally, the mint julep is a vile almost undrinkable beverage.
    John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
Adjective
  • Below that sits the pedestrian CLK 500 and plebeian CLK 350.
    Jeremy Korzeniewski, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2025
  • Across the lake, on the plebeian side, up the shoreline a mile or so, in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach, stand twin 32-story towers dubbed Trump Plaza of the Palm Beaches.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The effort is big business with organized, managed, paid people doing the dirty work.
    Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
  • Washing Machine Cleaner Your clothes aren’t the only things that get dirty in the laundry room.
    Lauren David, Southern Living, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • This journey from her humble beginnings to icon makes sense for a contemporary audience in terms of the pop stars of today, those iconic people in popular culture.
    Sarah Crompton, Vogue, 16 June 2025
  • Both men – Yousafzai, an education activist born in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, and Ranjit, a farmer of humble origins in a remote area of India – break from the traditions of their cultures by advocating forcefully for their daughters.
    Matthew Carey, Deadline, 15 June 2025
Adjective
  • And some erratic vibrations were detected at points last week as the stark outperformance of year-to-date laggards over the top 2025 performers prompted some comparisons to the nasty momentum-stock reversal of February and March that upset the market well before the tariff panic.
    Michael Santoli, CNBC, 14 June 2025
  • But while Burns appeared to solve Oakmont for the day, some players who performed well on Thursday got eaten alive by the nasty course on Friday.
    Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
Adjective
  • One of them, a graduate student named Hailey, who had the kind of vulgar beauty of fecundity, duly fell pregnant.
    Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 15 June 2025
  • Dem rep's vulgar demand to ICE officers leads to calls to expel her from Congress MAJOR HEADLINES 'NEVER SEEN HER' – AOC, progressives ripped for ignoring 'Red Light district' as prostitution, filthy streets return.
    , FOXNews.com, 9 June 2025
Adjective
  • In the age of print, Hamburg was the birthplace of magazine publishing, and Paris the birthplace of the literary review and the gossip rag; but restless, immoral London was where the advice column first transformed people’s private lives into object lessons for ethical behavior.
    Merve Emre, New Yorker, 16 June 2025
  • The film gathers immoral cops, ruthless women and corrupt politicians to complete the world of populist cinema based in hinterlands of India.
    Sweta Kaushal, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ignoble.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ignoble. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.

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