1
as in coquettish
affecting shyness or modesty in order to attract masculine interest
the previously demure maiden began making some surprisingly shocking remarks
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in shy
not comfortable around people
hesitant and demure, she hardly spoke a word at the banquet table
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in meek
not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness
wore a very demure outfit to the interview for the job at the church's headquarters
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Recent Examples of demure
Mimi is quiet and demure, and therefore quite malleable by music execs.
—
Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
The 78th edition of the festival will commence tomorrow, and it's set to be a more demure red carpet, something which could spell Quelle Horreur for A-listers and the fash-pack, with the likes of Bella Hadid having donned the barely-there gown on the Cannes red carpet in past years.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Official portraits projected her as a modern iteration of 19th-century royal mothers—soft, demure, virginal.
—Air Mail, 10 May 2025
Her sartorial strategy was clear: midi-skirts and dresses that were elegant, prim and demure, worn with headbands for a youthful earnestness.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demure
Manuel Betancourt, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
The 78th edition of the festival will commence tomorrow, and it's set to be a more demure red carpet, something which could spell Quelle Horreur for A-listers and the fash-pack, with the likes of Bella Hadid having donned the barely-there gown on the Cannes red carpet in past years.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Official portraits projected her as a modern iteration of 19th-century royal mothers—soft, demure, virginal.
—Air Mail, 10 May 2025
Her sartorial strategy was clear: midi-skirts and dresses that were elegant, prim and demure, worn with headbands for a youthful earnestness.
—Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for demure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demure
Adjective
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However, Wicked arrived on Peacock on March 21, just shy of four months after the film opened in theaters.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
27 June 2025
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And Prim Rose is a 1-year-old girl who is energetic yet a little shy and has been waiting for a forever family since January.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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From small and relatively meek beginnings, proboscideans eventually evolved into herbivorous, elephantine giants with a broad array of different tusk arrangements and shapes.—
Riley Black,
Smithsonian Magazine,
3 Apr. 2025
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That confidence paid off as Farrow received her first Tony nomination for her role as the initially meek homebody Sharon in the play by Jen Silverman, which ran at the Booth Theatre on Broadway from September through December 2024.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
Meanwhile, Lear has been much more coy about her identity.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
12 June 2025
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Donaldson was coy when asked about the return during a panel for Deadline’s Contenders Television: Documentary, Unscripted & Variety event.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Often, people that indulge in this type of culture are considered anti-social or withdrawn, a stereotype that has been passed around for years.—
Dominick Williams,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2025
-
People become irritable, withdrawn, or hyper-independent.—
Barnaby Lashbrooke,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
-
This journey from her humble beginnings to icon makes sense for a contemporary audience in terms of the pop stars of today, those iconic people in popular culture.—
Sarah Crompton,
Vogue,
16 June 2025
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Both men – Yousafzai, an education activist born in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, and Ranjit, a farmer of humble origins in a remote area of India – break from the traditions of their cultures by advocating forcefully for their daughters.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 June 2025
Adjective
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Madelyn Cline went full-on Old Hollywood bombshell, kittenish liner, polished lengths, and all.—
Calin Van Paris,
Vogue,
15 Jan. 2023
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With a basis of flawless skin—smoothing and hydration offered via Kylie Skin Face Moisturizer and Eye Cream—Phillips pulled a thick wing of black liner along Jenner's lids, a diminutive wing beneath the lower lashline providing a kittenish complement.—
Calin Van Paris,
Vogue,
13 Sep. 2021
Adjective
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But that hasn't stopped Chisholm, who is not bashful about adding chains and non-uniform colors to his look, from getting criticism.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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One time in particular, Fisher called him out for being a bit bashful about their Star Wars fame, Hamill recounted in a new interview on NPR's Fresh Air — like any good sister would.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
4 June 2025
Adjective
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About half of organizations using AI in key functions report cost savings or revenue gains, but these benefits are often modest—typically less than 10% cost savings or under 5% revenue increase.—
Karen Kim,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
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Mamdani's opponents will likely continue to attack him for his views on Israel, which have drawn criticism from some Jewish groups, and his relative inexperience as third-term lawmaker with a very modest record of legislative accomplishment.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demure. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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