adjective
ignoble
ihg-NOH-buhl
adjective
1
Lacking honour or moral worth; shameful or unworthy of respect.
"He resigned in an ignoble attempt to avoid the scandal entirely."
"It was an ignoble way to treat someone who had trusted him."
How to Use Ignoble
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe opposite of noble — behaviour or character that is base, shabby, or beneath respect.
Common mistake
Not related to "ignore" — the two words just happen to look similar.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
ignoble end
ignoble defeat
ignoble retreat
Word Forms
ignobler comparative, ignobled past tense, ignobles singular, ignoblest superlative
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He resigned in an _____ attempt to avoid the scandal entirely.
Etymology
From Middle French ignoble, from Latin ignobilis — "not" (in-) + "noble" (nobilis).