Ignoble means shameful and unworthy of a decent person. An ignoble motive, an ignoble end, ignoble behaviour.
It judges the motive rather than the act, so an ignoble reason can lie behind a useful deed. It is the plain opposite of noble, with the Latin in- meaning not. Its older sense was simply low-born, which is how the moral sense grew — a reminder of how class and virtue were once confused.
1adjectiveignobleShameful and unworthy of a decent person.
“He won the election by ignoble means, spreading lies about his opponent.”
ignoble is a quality of character.
Latin ignobilis is in-, not, plus nobilis, noble. It first meant low-born, and the moral sense grew from that.
Latin
ignōbilis
Middle French
ignoble
English, today
ignoble
Built from
Borrowed from Middle French ignoble, from Latin ignōbilis, from in- (“not”) + gnōbilis, later nōbilis (“noble”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA