unassuming
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unassuming
Explanation
The word unassuming means modest, lacking in arrogance, pleasant, or polite. You'll find that some of the most unassuming people are actually the most interesting and powerful of all. They're just decent enough not to display it all the time. When you assume, you draw conclusions that you shouldn't. If you're unassuming, you don't make that mistake. Even though he was a rock star, I found Jason to be unassuming and delightful. He treated everyone like a friend. It's the height of irony that the real Wizard of Oz turns out to be an unassuming country gentleman, when the image he projected was of fearsome, raw, tyrannical power.
Vocabulary lists containing unassuming
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"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
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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.
For those who have watched Hartnett grow throughout his career, the actor’s keen yet unassuming abilities surely don’t come as a shock.
From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026
And they did so under the eye of an unassuming IT manager from Sunderland, who used "quiet moments in the day" to plan historic cup success.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Tucked in an unassuming building on Centre Street is “31 Rue Cambon,” a “Chanel pop-up” from the artist and designer Tom Sachs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
For the gardeners: At first, they look like unassuming sprouts.
From Slate ● Sep. 11, 2026
In the corner of my eye, I watched him draw a match from his brass vesta case and light it with an unassuming flick of his fingers.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
