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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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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of demure
Sofia the First boasts a princess who is not demure, but instead loves adventure and stands up for what’s right.
—
Taylor Grothe, Parents, 20 Aug. 2025
This one is easy to spot and grab among other items, demure enough for modest settings, forgiving of cosmetic marks, and generally just a lovely thing to throw on.
—Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2025
But her flat intonation and vocal fry are perfectly suited to Marvel’s campy critical misfire, playing a demure yet powerful teenager who’s taken under the wing of Dakota Johnson’s equally spacey Cassie.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
The robots that share our public spaces today are so demure.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for demure
Taylor Grothe, Parents, 20 Aug. 2025
This one is easy to spot and grab among other items, demure enough for modest settings, forgiving of cosmetic marks, and generally just a lovely thing to throw on.
—Alexandra Pereira, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2025
But her flat intonation and vocal fry are perfectly suited to Marvel’s campy critical misfire, playing a demure yet powerful teenager who’s taken under the wing of Dakota Johnson’s equally spacey Cassie.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
The robots that share our public spaces today are so demure.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for demure
Recent Examples of Synonyms for demure
Adjective
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Nab this charming bag, which comes in all sorts of coquettish florals and prints that flawlessly fit the aesthetic.—
Francesca Krempa,
Travel + Leisure,
19 Oct. 2025
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Portman added a pair of black heels with coquettish design elements, including the small bows on the front of the shoe.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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The West Highland white terrier, who died in July just shy of turning 16, competed in dog shows and at one point was ranked as the top female Westie in the country.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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Michigan is a young team with an 18-year-old starting quarterback, a second-year head coach who’s a few months shy of 40 and lots of first- and second-year players on its two-deep.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
19 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Even though Sunday night’s game devolved into a meek, 3-1 loss, the club is still eight wins from a potential World Series title with the hopes of a nation on their collective shoulders.—
Joe Kozlowski,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Doherty, 30, is playing meek flower shop assistant Seymour in the treasured musical, about a strange and unusual plant that feeds only on human flesh and blood.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
18 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Witherspoon plays it a bit more coy.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
11 Oct. 2025
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But the film plays so coy with its backstory, offering it in dribs and drabs, that its initial emotional tension soon turns vaporous and phony.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Set in Taiwan in 1988, Girl revolves around Hsiao-lee, a quiet and withdrawn girl, growing up in silent gloom.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
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Unfortunately, further discussions were heated, with no resolve, just more withdrawn behavior while the communications continued.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
30 July 2025
Adjective
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Bold hues are the name of the game, whether this means going for the kind of saturated, chili pepper–adjacent red that flooded the runways of labels like Ferragamo or embracing autumn’s fascination with all things deep purple, courtesy of an earrings pair that pays homage to the humble eggplant.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
13 Oct. 2025
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And Jacob, who’s so humble, Mia, and, of course, Christoph.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Seductively kittenish, Gardner lives up to her profane reputation.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2023
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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
Adjective
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At times, the new mom gets bashful about the attention she’s received since returning to the team.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
3 Oct. 2025
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Livestreaming isn’t the same as actually being there and seeing the fabric flow, the textures, the audience reaction and the bashful designer with their head down, forced onto the runway at the end of each show.—
Nadja Sayej,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Demure.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/demure. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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