unpretentious

American  

[uhn-pri-ten-shuhs] / ˌʌn prɪˈtɛn ʃəs /

adjective

1. not pretentious; modest; without ostentatious display; plain.

   his unpretentious demeanor; an unpretentious summer resort.

   Synonyms:

   easy, open, plain, humble

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unpretentious British  

/ ˌʌnprɪˈtɛnʃəs /

adjective

1. not making claim to distinction or importance undeservedly

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Other Word Forms

• unpretentiously adverb
• unpretentiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of unpretentious

First recorded in 1855–60; un- ¹ + pretentious

Example Sentences

Norman Podhoretz was the author of a dozen or so books and innumerable reviews and essays, all written in clear, unpretentious prose.

From The Wall Street Journal

But it is his beautiful writing that really surprised me, full of witty, unpretentious chapters about his life of Hollywood glamour.

From The Wall Street Journal

I found him unpretentious and easygoing in conversation, not given to theoretical double-talk, and with none of the abrasive New York swagger of his contemporaries.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its stucco, concrete, metal and glass structures showcase Gehry’s evolving language of shifting scales, fractured forms, unpretentious materials and sculptural components.

From Los Angeles Times

Although his public persona was quite vivid—convivial, erudite but unpretentious, articulate, and unfailingly charming—he did not imbue his buildings with a distinctive graphic sensibility.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• folksy
• homey
• humble
• laid-back
• modest
• simple
• straightforward
• unassuming