modestly
Americanadverb
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reflecting a moderate or humble estimate of one’s merits, importance, etc.; not boastfully.
He modestly puts all of his success down to timing.
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in a way that is free from showy extravagance; not ostentatiously.
For a billionaire, he lives rather modestly in a home he bought decades ago.
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in a way that shows regard for decency in behavior, speech, dress, etc..
When visiting religious sites, avoid offense by dressing modestly: cover your shoulders, torsos, and thighs.
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within reasonable limits; moderately.
A modestly priced economy car may be more appropriate for your teenage driver.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of modestly
Explanation
To do something modestly is to do it in a humble way, without showing off. After her play's successful opening night, a playwright might choose to sit modestly in the audience rather than going on stage to bow. When you act in an unpretentious way, you act modestly, and when you do something in the simplest way possible, you also do it modestly. The adjective modest can mean both "humble" and "small." Modesty and modest come from the Latin modestia, "sense of honor," or "correctness of conduct," from the root word modus, "measure or manner."
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.
Breadth has been modestly positive, but more in “stocks only” terms than in the New York Stock Exchange’s terms.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026
Bill Adams, chief US economist at Fifth Third Commercial Bank, said July's CPI data was "modestly better" and kept a "narrow path open for the Fed to hold rates steady in September."
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
She admits she has worried whether dressing modestly will make it harder for her to succeed in this industry, but she finds pleasure in it too.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
This could lead the market to demand a modestly higher yield from Telstra, they reckon.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Between Mom and Dad and me, it only took a few minutes to unload the car, but my unair-conditioned dorm room, although blessedly out of the sunshine, was only modestly cooler.
From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
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.
