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modest

adjective

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

Choose the Right Synonym for modest

shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward.

shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

shy with strangers

bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence.

a bashful boy out on his first date

diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking.

felt diffident about raising an objection

modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit.

modest about her success

coy implies a pretended shyness.

put off by her coy manner

chaste, pure, modest, decent mean free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious.

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

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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of modest was in 1550

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