Ennoble

To give greater dignity, honor, or moral worth.

Reach for it when praising an act or account that raises how a person or cause is regarded

Her truthful testimony helped ennoble the overlooked rescue effort.

• everyday

  honor

  when respect is shown through recognition

  not when Honor acknowledges worth rather than creating a more noble character.

• warm

  uplift

  when moral encouragement or hope increases

  not when Uplift changes feeling and does not necessarily confer dignity.

• professional

  elevate

  when status, quality, or tone is raised

  not when Elevate can refer only to rank or physical position, with no moral worth added.

• formal

  dignify

  when respect and seriousness are added

  not when Dignify can lend status without improving moral worth.

• formal

  lend nobility to

  when the effect should be unpacked explicitly

  not when The phrase is cumbersome and can romanticize ordinary hardship.

• literary

  exalt

  when praise raises someone to very high esteem

  not when Exalt can become worshipful or uncritical.

• debase
• degrade
• dishonor
• demean

• ennoble a cause

  Transparent sacrifice can ennoble a cause without making it infallible.

• ennoble the spirit

  The poem aims to ennoble the spirit through honest compassion.

• seek to ennoble

  The memorial seeks to ennoble service rather than glorify war.