modest

[mod-ist]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR modest ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.

free from ostentation or showy extravagance: a modest house.

having or showing regard for the decencies of behavior, speech, dress, etc.; decent: a modest neckline on a dress.

limited or moderate in amount, extent, etc.: a modest increase in salary.

Nearby words

Origin of modest

1555–65; < Latin modestus restrained, decorous, equivalent to modes- (stem of *modus, an s-stem akin to modus mode¹, perhaps < *medos, with the vowel of modus; compare moderārī to moderate, from the same noun stem) + -tus adj. suffix

SYNONYMS FOR modest

1. retiring, unassuming. 1, 2. unpretentious, unobtrusive. 3. pure, virtuous. Modest, demure, prudish imply conformity to propriety and decorum, and a distaste for anything coarse or loud. Modest implies a becoming shyness, sobriety, and proper behavior: a modest, self-respecting person. Demure implies a bashful, quiet simplicity, staidness, and decorum; but can also indicate an assumed or affected modesty: a demure young chorus girl. Prudish suggests an exaggeratedly self-conscious modesty or propriety in behavior or conversation of one who wishes to be thought of as easily shocked and who often is intolerant: a prudish objection to a harmless remark.

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ANTONYMS FOR modest

3. bold, coarse.

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Related forms

mod·est·ly, adverbhy·per·mod·est, adjectivehy·per·mod·est·ly, adverbhy·per·mod·est·ness, noun

o·ver·mod·est, adjectiveo·ver·mod·est·ly, adverbpseu·do·mod·est, adjectivepseu·do·mod·est·ly, adverbqua·si-mod·est, adjectivequa·si-mod·est·ly, adverbsu·per·mod·est, adjectivesu·per·mod·est·ly, adverbun·mod·est, adjectiveun·mod·est·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for modest

And there are other stories DuVernay could have told and still met her (relatively) modest budget of $20 million.
Dr. King Goes to Hollywood: The Flawed History of ‘Selma’|Gary May|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
How does it happen that citizens of modest means suffer as public sector unions gain?
How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats|Daniel DiSalvo|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A modest crowd moved East on 110th Street in New York City on Sunday evening.
Justice League Vigil for Slain NYPD Officers Asks Whose Life Matters|Olivia Nuzzi|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even its benign forms—the resurgence of modest dress norms in Jewish communities, for example—perpetuate this idea.
Church Sex Scandals Are Rooted in Theology|Jay Michaelson|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Raquel lives in a modest brick house in Progreso, Texas, a border town less than 40 miles from Matamoros.
Mexico’s Murderous SWAT Teams|Jason McGahan|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His brother Olaf was a tall, thin man; handsome in countenance; lively, modest, and popular.
Heimskringla|Snorri Sturlason
I was surprised to see such a redoubtable bear-slayer so modest and kindly.
Hunting with the Bow and Arrow|Saxton Pope
Deerfoot held back, but yielded, and finally answered in his modest way the numerous questions with which he was plied.
The Hunters of the Ozark|Edward S. Ellis
But he was quiet, unobtrusive and modest and generally allowed the loud-mouthed one to have his way.
The Southerner|Thomas Dixon
Yet he remains the most modest of men, with no apparent consciousness that he is great.
A Backward Glance at Eighty|Charles A. Murdock

British Dictionary definitions for modest

modest

adjective

having or expressing a humble opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments or abilities

reserved or shymodest behaviour

not ostentatious or pretentious

not extreme or excessive; moderate

decorous or decent

Derived Formsmodestly, adverb

Word Origin for modest

C16: via Old French from Latin modestus moderate, from modus mode

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for modest

modest

adj.

1560s, "having moderate self-regard," from Middle French modeste (14c.), from Latin modestus "keeping due measure" (see modesty). Of women, "not improper or lewd," 1590s; of female attire, 1610s. Of demands, etc., c.1600. Related: Modestly.