modest

adjective

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mod·est | \ ˈmä-dəst

Definition of modest

1a : 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

4a : limited in size, amount, or scope a family of modest means

b : unpretentious a modest home

Other Words from modest Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Modest: Ever So Humble More Example Sentences Learn More about modest

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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

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

Examples of modest in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples on the Web The decision is a modest, but potentially significant victory in a long-running battle to connect OxyContin with neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS, a group of conditions caused when a baby withdraws from certain drugs while exposed in the womb. — Ed Silverman, STAT, "Judge rules Purdue must answer questions about documents showing any link between OxyContin, birth defects," 8 Apr. 2021 Justice’s revised plan would immediately slash the state income tax by 50%, which is more modest than his original plan to immediately slash it by 60%. — Tyler Arnold, Washington Examiner, "West Virginia considering three separate plans to eliminate income tax, Justice revises proposal," 7 Apr. 2021 These huge tires can cost $50,000 each and are used on trucks the size of a modest two-story suburban home. — Peter Valdes-dapena, CNN, "Coming soon: Smart tires that could help you drive better," 21 Mar. 2021 The pope's highest-profile events came earlier in the day, starting at Sistani's modest home in the holy city of Najaf, in a neighborhood of narrow alleyways that, because of security reasons, few global figures would normally enter. — Louisa Loveluck, BostonGlobe.com, "In Iraq, Pope Francis holds historic talks with Shi’ite ayatollah, decries religious violence," 6 Mar. 2021 In the present modest-to-strong La Niña year, that would be the longest of shots. — Los Angeles Times, "California is bone dry. Will March bring more misery or a miracle?," 5 Mar. 2021 Here, Francis will walk the 30 meters (yards) to al-Sistani's modest home, which the cleric has rented for decades. — Star Tribune, "Intense preparations before pontiff meets Iraqi ayatollah," 3 Mar. 2021 This little house in Sacramento, California has lots of colorful, artistic details that put this modest home above the rest. — Andrea Romano, Travel + Leisure, "Artsy Airbnbs That Look Like They're Straight Out of Kate Russo’s 'Super Host'," 20 Feb. 2021 Now the same wonks and historians who compared Obama to the architect of managerial liberalism downplay his tenure in office as overly cautious, modest, and risk-averse. — Matthew Continetti, National Review, "Operation Overreach," 27 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'modest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.