modesty

American  

[mod-uh-stee] / ˈmɒd ə sti /

noun

• modesties
  plural

1. the quality of being modest; freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc.

2. regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc.

3. simplicity; moderation.

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modesty British  

/ ˈmɒdɪstɪ /

noun

1. the quality or condition of being modest

2. (modifier) designed to prevent inadvertent exposure of part of the body

   a modesty flap

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overmodesty
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• modesties
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of modesty

From the Latin word modestia, dating back to 1525–35. See modest, -y ³

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Explanation

Modesty is that shy feeling you get when someone brags about how great you are, or when you need to take off your shirt to go swimming and showing skin makes you squirm. If you blush, you’ve got some modesty. Modesty comes from the Latin modestus, which literally translates as “keeping due measure.” Knowing the correct measure of yourself is modesty, and when someone praises you too much, your modesty might kick in and make you want to tell them to be quiet. Modesty also means you keep things decent and not too outrageous, like wearing clothes that hide your skin, or painting your walls beige instead of covering them with glow-in-the-dark diamond wallpaper.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

modesty modesties

But it appears there’s another reason for New Yorkers to like the basketball star known for his clutch play and modesty: He’s an astute analyst of comparative state tax rates.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

His proposed ballroom “represents another way this presidency has abandoned its imperative of projecting modesty, openness, and stability,” the architect and historian Neil Flanagan complained in the Atlantic this month.

From Slate ● May 18, 2026

He’s not a filmmaker given to false modesty, but how long can you bask in that kind of adoration?

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

"Children grow at different rates and for some eight-year-olds, having some more modesty in swimwear is absolutely appropriate," she said.

From BBC ● Apr. 30, 2026

Mom countered that since she was twice as large as me and therefore required more physical fabric to preserve her modesty, she deserved at least two-thirds of the suitcase.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

To make one costume seem like many, women are buying in vast quantities dickies, jabots, fichus, gilets, ruches, berthas, bibs, piccadillies, collets, modesties and ruffs.

From Time Magazine Archive

I'm so het up I can't set still, an' besides, mebbe we can get the story the way it really happened, from somebody who ain't bound an' gagged an' chloroformed by such unbecomin' modesties.

From The Spoilers by Rex Ellingwood Beach

I hope they cannot blame us, we have usd them With that respect our modesties allowd.

From A Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 2 by A. H. (Arthur Henry) Bullen

And this attraction affected her morally, producing in her modesties, reticencies of speech, even of thought, and prickings of unflattering self-criticism unknown to her heretofore.

From The History of Sir Richard Calmady A Romance by Lucas Malet

There are modesties in religion as in morals,—inner shrines to be defended at any and all costs.

From The Quickening by E. M. Ashe

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Related Words

• decency
• humility
• propriety
• purity
• reticence
• simplicity
• virtue

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