modest
Americanadjective
-
having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.
- Synonyms:
- unobtrusive, unpretentious, unassuming, retiring
-
free from ostentation or showy extravagance.
a modest house.
- Synonyms:
- unobtrusive, unpretentious
-
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.
adjective
-
having or expressing a humble opinion of oneself or one's accomplishments or abilities
-
reserved or shy
modest behaviour
-
not ostentatious or pretentious
-
not extreme or excessive; moderate
-
decorous or decent
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of modest
First recorded in 1555–65; from Latin modestus “restrained, decorous,” equivalent to modes- (stem of unattested modus, an s- stem akin to modus “measured amount, limit, manner” ( see mode 1), perhaps from unattested medos, with the vowel of modus; compare moderārī “to moderate” ( see moderate, from the same noun stem) + -tus adjective suffix
Explanation
A person is modest if he or she is very successful but does not call attention to this. Modest generally means "big enough but not huge" — like a modest house or a modest income. An ambitious person will not be satisfied with modest progress. Around the turn of the 17th century, modest referred to proper or decent dress and behavior especially in women. Although this is considered dated today, modest is still used for people who are shy about showing their body. If you are modest, you might wear your t-shirt when you swim.
Vocabulary lists containing modest
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The Diary of Anne Frank
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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.
The remedy, English said, would require Warsh to break his silence and say where he thinks things are headed, by signaling a modest adjustment was more likely than an open-ended hiking campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
When cells produced extra BiP but lacked p58IPK, they showed only modest gains in proinsulin folding and its movement out of the cell.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
The festival was launched in 2006 as a modest affair, with a peak daily attendance of just 4,500.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
If the truck and the Walkman were metaphorical beacons, a modest gold, rope necklace and Jeff Kent’s mustache were concealed anchors even when in plain sight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 26, 2026
The boy watches both the magician and his modest audience curiously.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
