Nobleman gets one with hesitation sooner (7)
I believe the answer is:
earlier
'sooner' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'nobleman gets one with hesitation' is the wordplay.
'nobleman' becomes 'earl' (member of the nobility).
'gets' means one lot of letters go next to another.
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'with' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'hesitation' becomes 'er' (sound made while hesitating - um, er).
'earl'+'i'+'er'='EARLIER'
(Other definitions for earlier that I've seen before include "Older" , "Beforehand" , "at a previous date" , "Further in advance" , "of a bygone age?" .)