释义
demure
(once / 1483 pages)
adj
A demure person can be described as polite and a little shy. A demure outfit is a modest one––think high neckline and low hem.
Demure is a word you don't hear a lot these days, but it used to be a huge compliment for a woman or a girl, for them to be considered shy and quiet and modest. Those days are over, thank goodness, because demure people are nice and all, but they're also a little boring.
CHOOSE YOUR WORDS demur / demure
To demur is to show reluctance or to hesitate, like not quite getting in the car when someone opens the door, but demure isalways an adjective describing a modest, reserved, or shy person, and sounds like the mew of a tiny kitten.
Demur is usually a verb, but it can also act as a noun meaning the act of hesitating or objecting, or indecision. It's like saying "no thanks" by ducking your head and walking away:
"There isn't any too much room in this bungalow as it is," demurred Mr. Pottle. (Richard Connell )
But strangely, when given an opportunity to be influential, many demur , backing away from the conversations that result in the making of decisions. (Computer World )
Not surprisingly, perhaps, Tett stepped out of her chair role's impartiality momentarily to demur at that. (Guardian )
Add an e to make demure , which describes a shy, polite, legs-crossed, hands-in-lap kinda gal:
Demure ? I think you need to read the definition of that word, because no one in hot pink shorts and red manic panic hair is demure . (x17 )
Canada, represented as a demure little maiden, stands just behind Hawaii, an interested spectator, apparently more than half inclined to follow his example. (Frederic Taber Cooper )
Demur when a cute trucker invites you to an all-night rave if you want to be considered demure . Ladies love an e . Demur sounds like dee-mur , while demure sounds like a baby kitten: de-myure . Mew.
WORD FAMILY demure : demurely, demureness, demurer, demurest+ / demureness : demurenesses
USAGE EXAMPLES The winners “tend to be more demure , they tend to be more classically elegant,” said Lee.
Washington Post(Dec 16, 2016)
A demure Cuban tree frog, intensely green, clings to a branch.
New York Times(Nov 30, 2016)
Asked how it was to be on set with the cast, they remained demure , saying they weren’t sure how much they could reveal.
Time(Nov 21, 2016)
adj
affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way Syn
coy, overmodest
modest
not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance