unassuming

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adjective un·as·sum·ing \ ˌən-ə-ˈsü-miŋ \

Definition of unassuming

:not assuming :modest

an unassuming librarian

an unassuming manner

an unassuming neighborhood

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unassumingness

noun

See unassuming defined for English-language learners

See unassuming defined for kids

Examples of unassuming in a Sentence

He's just an unassuming guy.
They lived in an unassuming home.

Recent Examples of unassuming from the Web

Without nectar to attract pollinators, Joshua trees rely solely on this unassuming moth for pollination.

— sam schipani, Smithsonian, "How a Tree and Its Moth Shaped the Mojave Desert," 10 Aug. 2017
Peter Simple in real life was the writer Michael Wharton who, unlike his grandly aristocratic columnar personality, was a modest, unassuming, and soft-voiced middle-class journalist from the West Riding of Yorkshire.

— john o'sullivan, National Review, "The Trump Era as Unintended Political Satire — Recalling Peter Simple," 4 Aug. 2017
The unassuming 49-year-old restaurant and bar is tucked away in a strip mall next to a Bank of America and a Vons on Pass Avenue.

— anthony clark carpio, Burbank Leader, "Longtime Burbank karaoke bar will have its final encore on Friday," 25 July 2017
Football begins in the trenches, where mostly unassuming players on offense call home.

— herbie teope, NOLA.com, "Ranking the NFC South: Offensive line," 14 July 2017
Wes and Missy Cochran, from LaGrange, Georgia, might be the most unassuming art collectors on the planet.

— taylor bruce, Southern Living, "Georgia's Warhol Collector," 11 July 2017
Her focus now is tending to her unassuming husband Don (Jon Daly) and attempting to recapture some of her former celebrity by coaching 11-year-old daughter Patty (Ursula Parker) through an endless round of beauty contests and talent shows.

— justin lowe, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Austin Found': Film Review," 7 July 2017
To be able to play someone who kind of seems like a useless player in the game and kind of unassuming — the words used to describe her most are spoilt, typical teenager.

— daniel d’addario, Time, "Sophie Turner: I Want Sansa Stark to Have ‘More Kills’ on Game of Thrones," 5 July 2017
The unassuming Cubs closer switched from 22 to 17 for the 2014 season after his stepbrother, Dustin Huguley, died unexpectedly of a genetic heart defect Aug. 3, 2013.

— paul skrbina, chicagotribune.com, "As a tribute to his stepbrother, Wade Davis wore No. 17 — and now wears No. 71," 4 July 2017

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