highborn

/ˈhī-ˈbȯrn/ (ame, mw)

highborn — 形容詞

  • highbornpositive
  • more highborncomparative
  • most highbornsuperlative

1. born into a family that belongs to the aristocracy or nobility, with inherited r

1.形容詞C2
釋義

出身高貴的

生於貴族或世家的，多用於歷史或文學語境

born into a family that belongs to the aristocracy or nobility, with inherited rank and social privilege — used mostly in historical or literary writing.

例句

The novel follows a highborn young woman who refuses to marry the duke her father has chosen.

這本小說講述一位出身高貴的年輕女子，拒絕嫁給父親替她選定的公爵。

highborn + noun: typical attributive use before a person noun

Daniel discovered that his great-grandmother was highborn, descended from an old Hungarian noble family.

Daniel 發現自己的曾祖母出身高貴，是匈牙利一個古老貴族家族的後代。

predicative use: be + highborn

同義詞
  • aristocratic

    more common everyday word; can describe manner as well as birth

  • noble

    broader: covers both birth and moral character

  • blue-blooded

    informal idiom; often used jokingly about old aristocratic families

  • patrician

    formal; emphasises refined taste and old-family background, originally Roman

反義詞
  • lowborn

    direct opposite; equally formal and literary

  • common

    broader: of ordinary social rank, not necessarily poor

  • plebeian

    formal or jokingly contemptuous; originally Roman, used of the ordinary classes

文法句型

highborn + noun

be + highborn

用法筆記

Almost always used attributively before a person noun (lady, lord, prince, gentleman) or in historical / literary contexts. In modern everyday English a Taiwanese learner is far more likely to meet 'aristocratic', 'noble', or 'from a noble family'.

常見錯誤

❌The company hired a highborn manager.
✅The company hired a manager from a wealthy family.
💡'highborn' refers to inherited noble rank, not just wealth or social status.
❌She felt highborn after winning the award.
✅She felt proud after winning the award.
💡'highborn' describes birth, not a temporary feeling or achievement.