modesty
Americannoun
plural
modesties-
the quality of being modest; freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc.
-
regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
-
simplicity; moderation.
noun
-
the quality or condition of being modest
-
(modifier) designed to prevent inadvertent exposure of part of the body
a modesty flap
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of modesty
From the Latin word modestia, dating back to 1525–35. See modest, -y 3
Explanation
Modesty is that shy feeling you get when someone brags about how great you are, or when you need to take off your shirt to go swimming and showing skin makes you squirm. If you blush, you’ve got some modesty. Modesty comes from the Latin modestus, which literally translates as “keeping due measure.” Knowing the correct measure of yourself is modesty, and when someone praises you too much, your modesty might kick in and make you want to tell them to be quiet. Modesty also means you keep things decent and not too outrageous, like wearing clothes that hide your skin, or painting your walls beige instead of covering them with glow-in-the-dark diamond wallpaper.
Vocabulary lists containing modesty
"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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Beloved
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Purple Hibiscus
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Modesty is rarely a hallmark of Broadway musicals, as anyone who attends them regularly can attest.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025
Modesty aside, Lee’s artistic journey began “by accident” in 2016 in Brooklyn, N.Y., where she was living next door to Choplet, a ceramics studio and gallery.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2024
Modesty is in its peak era . . . but not in the way you think.
From Salon • Aug. 25, 2024
Modesty, sympathy, generosity — these are valuable qualities in life and not necessarily in documentary cinema, where tension often acts as a narrative engine.
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024
“That’s right. Modesty is one of my worst faults,” Bull shouted, laughing, enjoying himself in the last fifty miles of his journey.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
