modest
[mod-ist]
- 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.
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Origin of modest
Synonyms
See more synonyms for modest on Thesaurus.com1. 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
3. bold, coarse.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for modestly
Contemporary Examples
Williamson “talks fluently and modestly about his art,” Barkham wrote.
If I am dressed “modestly,” then they can perhaps generate a modicum of understanding.
Perhaps to prove its literary mettle, A Time to Kill, at first, sold only modestly (it has since sold fifteen million copies).
Demand in the biggest retail sector – autos – rose only modestly last month.
Creating lots of new yen cheapens the currency, which is a boon for exporters and is modestly inflationary.
Historical Examples
"I am afraid you give me too much credit," said Robert, modestly.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
"Perhaps you may have heard of me before," said he, modestly.
The Three Golden ApplesNathaniel Hawthorne
"But I play to win," he modestly met it, and again they laughed.
Quaint CourtshipsVarious
"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 HunterLouis Joseph Vance
modest
- 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
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Word Origin
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
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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.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper