modest

adjective

mod·est ˈmä-dəst How to pronounce modest (audio)

: placing a moderate estimate on one's abilities or worth

: neither bold nor self-assertive : tending toward diffidence

: arising from or characteristic of a modest nature

: observing the proprieties of dress and behavior : decent

: limited in size, amount, or scope

a family of modest means

: unpretentious

a modest home

modestly adverb

Did you know?

Modest: Ever So Humble

When used to modify a sum or amount, or to mean "unpretentious," modest conveys a sense of not being excessive:

Captives received a modest salary of $0.80 per day, working at farms around Sonoma County picking apples, prunes, hops and other crops.
Janet Balicki, The Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat, 8 Dec. 2016

The minister of foreign affairs drove up in a modest car and joined our conversation.
Michael Taussig, Vice, 22 June 2016

The adjective humble is often used this way too, as when one speaks of "one's humble abode." Both words can be used in a humorous way that might be seen as self-deprecating.

Like humble, modest adequately describe one who does not boast about one's achievements, thereby avoiding a different kind of excessiveness:

Louisa May Alcott was always modest about her gifts; whatever early dreams of genius she might have nourished had been knocked out of her years before her literary fame arrived.
Barbara L. Packer, The New York Times Book Review, 25 Oct. 1987

Soft-spoken and modest in conversation, Knoll would be accomplished enough with his visual-effects credits in movies alone.
Julie Hinds, The Detroit Free Press, 11 Dec. 2016

Example Sentences

The foundry work was grueling, but for a little longer Brierfield afforded these African Americans a way station of modest freedom and a residue of authentic independence that was fast disappearing for most rural blacks.

Douglas A. Blackmon, Slavery By Another Name, 2008 … these remnants he lacked the will to discard, depressed him, deepening the low fever of depression in which even as modest a task as removing a blue doorknob loomed like a mountain almost impossible to climb.

John Updike, Harper's, October 2004 You're the hero, so then you have to behave in a certain way—there is a prescription for it. You have to be modest, you have to be forbearing, you have to be deferential, you have to be understanding.

Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997 They own a modest home near the beach. She enjoyed modest success with her singing career. He earns a modest income. We live on a modest budget. New cars are now available at relatively modest prices. He has only a modest amount of knowledge on the subject. It is a book of only modest importance. She's very modest about her achievements. Don't be so modest. Your performance was wonderful! “I'm not a hero. I was just doing my job,” he said in his characteristically modest way. See More

Recent Examples on the Web Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, had a more modest funeral last year due to coronavirus restrictions.

Aurora Almendral, Quartz, 15 Sep. 2022 Banks today allow depositors to take out a maximum of $400 per month, in addition to a more modest amount in Lebanese pounds.

Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2022 Mixon had a more modest stat line on Sunday with 27 carries for 82 yards (3.0 yards per carry).

Michael Niziolek, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2022 The design doesn’t scream high-end Apple accessory in the same way the three-in-one does, but that more modest approach may appeal to people who don’t own a triumvirate of Apple devices.

Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 12 Sep. 2022 Some of these markets, like Newark and Louisville, saw more modest price gains during the Pandemic Housing Boom.

Lance Lambert, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2022 Take away the 23-yarder and 20-yarder by freshman Jamarion Miller in the fourth quarter and Alabama gained a more modest 114 yards on 28 carries (a 4.1-yard average).

Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2022 While the entire health care sector, both employers and workers, suffered tremendously, the federal and state government rolled out robust programs to support companies while providing much more modest support to the workers themselves.

Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 4 Sep. 2022 Even Americans with more modest budgets are taking notice.

J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2022 See More

modest

adjective

as in average

being about midway between extremes of amount or size he was awarded a modest pension when he retired

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

average
moderate
median
reasonable
typical
middling
medium
middle
intermediate
adequate
standard
normal
midsized
mean
midsize
usual
regular
conventional
tolerable
commonplace
common
routine
popular
passable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

excessive
unusual
extreme
exceptional
uncommon
rare
special
strange
distinctive
private
unique
idiosyncratic
peculiar
individual

as in pure

free from any trace of the coarse or indecent tended to wear more modest swimsuits than the thong-clad guests at the resort

Synonyms & Similar Words

pure
immaculate
decent
chaste
clean
decorous
vestal
virginal
G-rated
harmless
proper
spotless
virgin
tasteful
unblemished
unsullied
seemly
untarnished
innocuous
unsoiled
refined
cultivated
stainless
unspotted
untainted
inoffensive
unstained
lily-white
undefiled
innocent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

obscene
immodest
indecent
coarse
vulgar
filthy
dirty
impure
unclean
unchaste
improper
smutty
stained
unseemly
soiled
spotted
blemished
tarnished
crude
indelicate
indecorous
tainted
ribald
tacky
tasteless
unrefined
sullied
defiled

as in shy

not comfortable around people a modest winner who said a quick thank-you and promptly left the stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

shy
withdrawn
lone
diffident
demure
bashful
coy
sheepish
self-effacing
backward
retiring
reserved
introverted
recessive
awkward
embarrassed
unassertive
unsociable
unsocial
antisocial
unadventurous
unenterprising
inhibited
uneasy
self-conscious
uptight
lone-wolf

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

immodest
outgoing
social
extroverted
convivial
sociable
gregarious
forceful
bold
companionable
boon
extraverted
dashing
uninhibited
brash
forward
clubbable
clubable
unreserved
overbold

as in humble

not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness appealingly modest about her success in the fashion industry

Synonyms & Similar Words

humble
meek
unassuming
timid
unaffected
demure
unpretentious
lowly
simple
shy
naive
quiet
down-to-earth
subdued
deferential
passive
unaggressive
unassertive
yielding
acquiescent
compliant
reserved
shrinking
diffident
unobtrusive
plain
bashful
resigned
submissive
ingenuous
sheepish
cowering
retiring
mousy
cringing
naïve
introverted
self-effacing
overmodest
self-deprecatory
mousey
self-deprecating
aw-shucks

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

superior
aggressive
arrogant
pompous
peremptory
imperious
presumptuous
haughty
pretentious
bold
egotistical
bumptious
audacious
confident
cheeky
supercilious
assertive
impudent
brash
forward
highfalutin
uppish
brassy
impertinent
egotistic
saucy
conceited
presuming
hifalutin
overweening
lordly
uppity
huffy
cocky
chesty
dominant
hubristic
bombastic
overconfident
smug
vain
narcissistic
cocksure
toplofty
egocentric
showy
huffish
boastful
ostentatious
egoistic
prideful
hoity-toity
self-assertive
vainglorious
disdainful
toploftical
flamboyant
fastuous
egoistical
swaggering
immodest
overbearing
high-handed
self-asserting
high-and-mighty
high-hat
magisterial
dominating
patronizing
domineering
condescending
uninhibited
self-confident
self-complacent
outgoing
self-congratulatory
self-contented
unreserved
self-satisfied
self-important
self-affected
self-engrossed
braggy
extroverted
self-pleased
self-centered
swelled-headed
self-conceited
stuck-up
self-obsessed
extraverted
pontificating

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of modest are chaste, decent, and pure. While all these words mean "free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious," modest and decent apply especially to deportment and dress as outward signs of inward chastity or purity.

preferred more modest swimsuits

decent people didn't go to such movies

While the synonyms chaste and modest are close in meaning, chaste primarily implies a refraining from acts or even thoughts or desires that are not virginal or not sanctioned by marriage vows.

they maintained chaste relations

Pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions.

the pure of heart

单词	modest
释义	modest adjective mod·est ˈmä-dəst 1 a : placing a moderate estimate on one's abilities or worth b : neither bold nor self-assertive : tending toward diffidence 2 : arising from or characteristic of a modest nature 3 : observing the proprieties of dress and behavior : decent 4 a : limited in size, amount, or scope a family of modest means b : unpretentious a modest home modestly adverb Did you know? Modest: Ever So Humble When used to modify a sum or amount, or to mean "unpretentious," modest conveys a sense of not being excessive: Captives received a modest salary of $0.80 per day, working at farms around Sonoma County picking apples, prunes, hops and other crops. Janet Balicki, The Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat, 8 Dec. 2016 The minister of foreign affairs drove up in a modest car and joined our conversation. Michael Taussig, Vice, 22 June 2016 The adjective humble is often used this way too, as when one speaks of "one's humble abode." Both words can be used in a humorous way that might be seen as self-deprecating. Like humble, modest adequately describe one who does not boast about one's achievements, thereby avoiding a different kind of excessiveness: Louisa May Alcott was always modest about her gifts; whatever early dreams of genius she might have nourished had been knocked out of her years before her literary fame arrived. Barbara L. Packer, The New York Times Book Review, 25 Oct. 1987 Soft-spoken and modest in conversation, Knoll would be accomplished enough with his visual-effects credits in movies alone. Julie Hinds, The Detroit Free Press, 11 Dec. 2016 Synonyms average intermediate mean median medium middle middling midsize midsized moderate See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences The foundry work was grueling, but for a little longer Brierfield afforded these African Americans a way station of modest freedom and a residue of authentic independence that was fast disappearing for most rural blacks. Douglas A. Blackmon, Slavery By Another Name, 2008 … these remnants he lacked the will to discard, depressed him, deepening the low fever of depression in which even as modest a task as removing a blue doorknob loomed like a mountain almost impossible to climb. John Updike, Harper's, October 2004 You're the hero, so then you have to behave in a certain way—there is a prescription for it. You have to be modest, you have to be forbearing, you have to be deferential, you have to be understanding. Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997 They own a modest home near the beach. She enjoyed modest success with her singing career. He earns a modest income. We live on a modest budget. New cars are now available at relatively modest prices. He has only a modest amount of knowledge on the subject. It is a book of only modest importance. She's very modest about her achievements. Don't be so modest. Your performance was wonderful! “I'm not a hero. I was just doing my job,” he said in his characteristically modest way. See More Recent Examples on the Web Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, had a more modest funeral last year due to coronavirus restrictions. Aurora Almendral, Quartz, 15 Sep. 2022 Banks today allow depositors to take out a maximum of $400 per month, in addition to a more modest amount in Lebanese pounds. Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 14 Sep. 2022 Mixon had a more modest stat line on Sunday with 27 carries for 82 yards (3.0 yards per carry). Michael Niziolek, cleveland, 13 Sep. 2022 The design doesn’t scream high-end Apple accessory in the same way the three-in-one does, but that more modest approach may appeal to people who don’t own a triumvirate of Apple devices. Kevin Cortez, Popular Mechanics, 12 Sep. 2022 Some of these markets, like Newark and Louisville, saw more modest price gains during the Pandemic Housing Boom. Lance Lambert, Fortune, 11 Sep. 2022 Take away the 23-yarder and 20-yarder by freshman Jamarion Miller in the fourth quarter and Alabama gained a more modest 114 yards on 28 carries (a 4.1-yard average). Mark Heim \| Mheim@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2022 While the entire health care sector, both employers and workers, suffered tremendously, the federal and state government rolled out robust programs to support companies while providing much more modest support to the workers themselves. Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 4 Sep. 2022 Even Americans with more modest budgets are taking notice. J.s. Marcus, WSJ, 1 Sep. 2022 See More Word History Etymology Latin modestus moderate; akin to Latin modus measure First Known Use 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Kids Definition modest adjective mod·est ˈmä-dəst 1 : not overly proud or confident : not boastful Though champion, he was a modest winner. 2 : limited in size or amount modest wealth 3 : not showy She lives in a modest house. 4 : decent in thought, conduct, and dress modest adjective 1 as in average being about midway between extremes of amount or size he was awarded a modest pension when he retired Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance average moderate median reasonable typical middling medium middle intermediate adequate standard normal midsized mean midsize usual regular conventional tolerable commonplace common routine popular passable Antonyms & Near Antonyms excessive unusual extreme exceptional uncommon rare special strange distinctive private unique idiosyncratic peculiar individual See More 2 as in pure free from any trace of the coarse or indecent tended to wear more modest swimsuits than the thong-clad guests at the resort Synonyms & Similar Words pure immaculate decent chaste clean decorous vestal virginal G-rated harmless proper spotless virgin tasteful unblemished unsullied seemly untarnished innocuous unsoiled refined cultivated stainless unspotted untainted inoffensive unstained lily-white undefiled innocent Antonyms & Near Antonyms obscene immodest indecent coarse vulgar filthy dirty impure unclean unchaste improper smutty stained unseemly soiled spotted blemished tarnished crude indelicate indecorous tainted ribald tacky tasteless unrefined sullied defiled See More 3 as in shy not comfortable around people a modest winner who said a quick thank-you and promptly left the stage Synonyms & Similar Words shy withdrawn lone diffident demure bashful coy sheepish self-effacing backward retiring reserved introverted recessive awkward embarrassed unassertive unsociable unsocial antisocial unadventurous unenterprising inhibited uneasy self-conscious uptight lone-wolf Antonyms & Near Antonyms immodest outgoing social extroverted convivial sociable gregarious forceful bold companionable boon extraverted dashing uninhibited brash forward clubbable clubable unreserved overbold See More 4 as in humble not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness appealingly modest about her success in the fashion industry Synonyms & Similar Words humble meek unassuming timid unaffected demure unpretentious lowly simple shy naive quiet down-to-earth subdued deferential passive unaggressive unassertive yielding acquiescent compliant reserved shrinking diffident unobtrusive plain bashful resigned submissive ingenuous sheepish cowering retiring mousy cringing naïve introverted self-effacing overmodest self-deprecatory mousey self-deprecating aw-shucks Antonyms & Near Antonyms superior aggressive arrogant pompous peremptory imperious presumptuous haughty pretentious bold egotistical bumptious audacious confident cheeky supercilious assertive impudent brash forward highfalutin uppish brassy impertinent egotistic saucy conceited presuming hifalutin overweening lordly uppity huffy cocky chesty dominant hubristic bombastic overconfident smug vain narcissistic cocksure toplofty egocentric showy huffish boastful ostentatious egoistic prideful hoity-toity self-assertive vainglorious disdainful toploftical flamboyant fastuous egoistical swaggering immodest overbearing high-handed self-asserting high-and-mighty high-hat magisterial dominating patronizing domineering condescending uninhibited self-confident self-complacent outgoing self-congratulatory self-contented unreserved self-satisfied self-important self-affected self-engrossed braggy extroverted self-pleased self-centered swelled-headed self-conceited stuck-up self-obsessed extraverted pontificating See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of modest are chaste, decent, and pure. While all these words mean "free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious," modest and decent apply especially to deportment and dress as outward signs of inward chastity or purity. preferred more modest swimsuits decent people didn't go to such movies While the synonyms chaste and modest are close in meaning, chaste primarily implies a refraining from acts or even thoughts or desires that are not virginal or not sanctioned by marriage vows. they maintained chaste relations Pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions. the pure of heart
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modest

adjective

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Synonyms

Example Sentences

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adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser