Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Having or showing a moderate estimation of one's own talents, abilities, and value.
- adj. Having or proceeding from a disinclination to call attention to oneself; retiring or diffident. See Synonyms at shy1.
- adj. Observing conventional proprieties in speech, behavior, or dress.
- adj. Free from showiness or ostentation; unpretentious. See Synonyms at plain.
- adj. Moderate or limited in size, quantity, or range; not extreme: a modest price; a newspaper with a modest circulation.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Retiring in disposition or demeanor; restrained by a sense of propriety, humility, or diffidence; not ostentatious, bold, or forward; unobtrusive.
- Acting with decorum or delicacy; restrained by chaste or scrupulous feelings; pure in thought and conduct.
- Manifesting or seeming to manifest humility, propriety, or decorum; not gaudy, showy, or meretricious.
- Moderate; not excessive or extreme; not extravagant: as, a modest computation; a modest fortune.
- Unpretentious.
- Synonyms Unassuming, unpretending, coy, shy. See bashfulness.
- Decent, chaste, virtuous.
Wiktionary
- adj. Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements, unpretentious, humble.
- adj. Small, moderate in size.
- adj. Avoiding being sexually suggestive.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Restraining within due limits of propriety; not forward, bold, boastful, or presumptious; rather retiring than pushing one's self forward; not obstructive
- adj. Observing the proprieties of the sex; not unwomanly in act or bearing; free from undue familiarity, indecency, or lewdness; decent in speech and demeanor; -- said of a woman.
- adj. Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
- adj. free from pomp or affectation
- adj. limited in size or scope
- adj. not large but sufficient in size or amount
- adj. low or inferior in station or quality
- adj. not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance
- adj. humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness
Etymologies
- Latin modestus; see med- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“Nawas is just one of a group of athletic Kansas City area young Muslim women who wear the hijab and what they term "modest" dress long sleeves and pants or long skirts.”
“Nawas is just one of a group of athletic Kansas City area young Muslim women who wear the hijab and what they term "modest" dress - long sleeves and pants or long skirts.”
“Mohammed Rashid, its general manager, said the attack was expected to halt what he called a modest rebound in commercial shipping to Tripoli after an initial wartime slowdown.”
“Vice Finance Minister Zhu Guangyao told reporters Friday that for the entire year, though, China is expecting only what he called a modest trade surplus.”
Voice of America: China Willing to Discuss Human Rights Differences With US
“As the word "modest" suggests, Gil is the quieter one.”
The Huffington Post: Nancy Ruhling: Astoria Characters: The Couplets Couple
“Erica says yes, she is going to take advantage of the sales because "it's the only way that she can afford to have what she calls a modest Christmas.”
“Pentagon officials say they are contemplating now what they call a modest increase in those forces.”
“Bolton told senators he has had made what he calls modest progress toward reforming the U.N. bureaucracy and in demanding a stronger response to North Korea's missile tests.”
“The SA Communist Party welcomed what it described as modest measures, and proposed that the school-feeding scheme be revived.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘modest’.
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Linda(G4)
Accurate, address, afford, alert, analyze, ancestor, annual, apparent, arena, arrest, ascend, assist and 126 more...
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Describing People
eye, hair, mouth, nose, tooth, head, face, arm, hand, finger, lip, leg and 212 more...
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Riley's list
Adjectives to describe Riley.
amazing, awesome, smart, nice, modest, genius, intense, the best, great, suave, narcissistic
whichbe The most MOD. Jul 19, 2009