Unrivalled, but lacking nobility? (8)
I believe the answer is:
peerless
'unrivalled' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'lacking nobility?' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'lacking' could be 'less' (I've seen this in another clue) and 'less' is present in the answer.
'nobility?' could be 'peer' (peer is a kind of nobility) and 'peer' is present in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'but' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for peerless that I've seen before include "Without equal, matchless" , "Without equal, nonpareil" , "Unique" , "Unmatched" , "Unparalleled, incomparable" .)