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.

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

Related formsmod·est·ly, adverbhy·per·mod·est, adjectivehy·per·mod·est·ly, adverbhy·per·mod·est·ness, nouno·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

Synonyms for modest

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR modest ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Antonyms for modest

3. bold, coarse.

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

Related Words for modestly

quietly, simply, plainly, humbly, reasonably, cheaply, moderately, sensibly, purely, chastely, demurely, diffidently, shyly, unassumingly, unobtrusively, virtuously, coolly

Examples from the Web for modestly

Contemporary Examples of modestly

Williamson “talks fluently and modestly about his art,” Barkham wrote.
Blessed or Cursed? Child Prodigies Reveal All
Justin Jones
November 17, 2014
If I am dressed “modestly,” then they can perhaps generate a modicum of understanding.
Whore Uniforms, Brad Pitt, and Context: Reflections from the Woman Behind Cards Against Harassment
Lindsey
August 8, 2014
Perhaps to prove its literary mettle, A Time to Kill, at first, sold only modestly (it has since sold fifteen million copies).
Still Killing Time: John Grisham Talks Broadway and “Sycamore Row”
Thane Rosenbaum
October 24, 2013
Demand in the biggest retail sector – autos – rose only modestly last month.
The Shutdown that Stole Christmas?
Daniel Gross
October 11, 2013
Creating lots of new yen cheapens the currency, which is a boon for exporters and is modestly inflationary.
Japan’s Fiscal Crossroads: Will Abenomics Mean Tougher Changes?
Daniel Gross
July 26, 2013

Historical Examples of modestly

"I am afraid you give me too much credit," said Robert, modestly.
Brave and Bold
Horatio Alger
"Perhaps you may have heard of me before," said he, modestly.
The Three Golden Apples
Nathaniel Hawthorne
"But I play to win," he modestly met it, and again they laughed.
Quaint Courtships
Various
"I modestly but freely told him what I thought" of Paradise Lost!
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
Be careful not to sing too loud, or anything like that: just do it all modestly, as if you were used to it.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for modestly

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 modestly

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.