unpretentious

American  

[uhn-pri-ten-shuhs] / ˌʌn prɪˈtɛn ʃəs /

adjective

1. not pretentious; modest; without ostentatious display; plain.

   his unpretentious demeanor; an unpretentious summer resort.

   Synonyms:

   easy, open, plain, humble

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unpretentious British  

/ ˌʌnprɪˈtɛnʃəs /

adjective

1. not making claim to distinction or importance undeservedly

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Other Word Forms

• unpretentiously adverb
• unpretentiousness noun

Etymology

Origin of unpretentious

First recorded in 1855–60; un- ¹ + pretentious

Example Sentences

But here they are the honored guests at the center of an unpretentious cinephilic atmosphere, where volunteers with vibrant wigs and Midwestern charm mind the lines that form outside the theaters around town.

From The Wall Street Journal

Norman Podhoretz was the author of a dozen or so books and innumerable reviews and essays, all written in clear, unpretentious prose.

From The Wall Street Journal

But it is his beautiful writing that really surprised me, full of witty, unpretentious chapters about his life of Hollywood glamour.

From The Wall Street Journal

I found him unpretentious and easygoing in conversation, not given to theoretical double-talk, and with none of the abrasive New York swagger of his contemporaries.

From The Wall Street Journal

Its stucco, concrete, metal and glass structures showcase Gehry’s evolving language of shifting scales, fractured forms, unpretentious materials and sculptural components.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• folksy
• homey
• humble
• laid-back
• modest
• simple
• straightforward
• unassuming