Synonyms of modest

modest

adjective

ˈmä-dəst 

1

as in average

being about midway between extremes of amount or size

he was awarded a modest pension when he retired

Synonyms & Similar Words

• average
• median
• moderate
• reasonable
• typical
• middle
• medium
• intermediate
• middling
• midsize
• normal
• adequate
• mean
• standard
• usual
• regular
• conventional
• common
• routine
• popular
• tolerable
• commonplace
• passable

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• excessive
• extreme
• unusual
• special
• rare
• strange
• exceptional
• uncommon
• unique
• private
• distinctive
• individual
• peculiar
• idiosyncratic

2

as in pure

free from any trace of the coarse or indecent

tended to wear more modest swimsuits than the thong-clad guests at the resort

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pure
• immaculate
• decent
• chaste
• clean
• decorous
• virginal
• vestal
• G-rated
• virgin
• harmless
• proper
• spotless
• unblemished
• unsullied
• tasteful
• lily-white
• untarnished
• stainless
• refined
• unsoiled
• seemly
• untainted
• innocuous
• unspotted
• cultivated
• unstained
• undefiled
• inoffensive
• innocent

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• obscene
• coarse
• indecent
• immodest
• vulgar
• filthy
• dirty
• unclean
• impure
• unchaste
• improper
• smutty
• stained
• soiled
• spotted
• unseemly
• blemished
• tarnished
• crude
• tainted
• indelicate
• indecorous
• ribald
• tacky
• tasteless
• unrefined
• sullied
• defiled

3

as in shy

not comfortable around people

a modest winner who said a quick thank-you and promptly left the stage

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shy
• withdrawn
• lone
• bashful
• diffident
• sheepish
• demure
• coy
• backward
• retiring
• recessive
• introverted
• self-effacing
• awkward
• reserved
• embarrassed
• antisocial
• unsocial
• unsociable
• unassertive
• lone-wolf
• unadventurous
• uneasy
• inhibited
• self-conscious
• uptight
• unenterprising

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• immodest
• outgoing
• social
• extroverted
• convivial
• sociable
• gregarious
• companionable
• boon
• forceful
• bold
• dashing
• uninhibited
• forward
• clubbable
• brash
• unreserved
• overbold

4

as in humble

not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness

appealingly modest about her success in the fashion industry

Synonyms & Similar Words

• humble
• meek
• unassuming
• unaffected
• timid
• unpretentious
• lowly
• demure
• down-to-earth
• shy
• naive
• simple
• quiet
• passive
• subdued
• deferential
• compliant
• unassertive
• unaggressive
• acquiescent
• shrinking
• yielding
• submissive
• plain
• unobtrusive
• reserved
• resigned
• bashful
• diffident
• ingenuous
• sheepish
• retiring
• mousy
• introverted
• self-effacing
• cowering
• cringing
• overmodest
• self-deprecatory
• self-deprecating
• aw-shucks

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• superior
• aggressive
• arrogant
• pompous
• haughty
• peremptory
• pretentious
• presumptuous
• imperious
• bold
• bumptious
• supercilious
• confident
• audacious
• assertive
• forward
• impudent
• conceited
• cheeky
• egotistic
• brash
• uppish
• brassy
• impertinent
• highfalutin
• high-and-mighty
• saucy
• lordly
• uppity
• overweening
• presuming
• high-hat
• huffy
• chesty
• high-handed
• cocky
• dominant
• overconfident
• hubristic
• smug
• narcissistic
• vain
• cocksure
• egocentric
• bombastic
• toplofty
• hoity-toity
• self-assertive
• egoistic
• boastful
• huffish
• prideful
• vainglorious
• showy
• fastuous
• ostentatious
• disdainful
• self-asserting
• swaggering
• overbearing
• flamboyant
• magisterial
• self-confident
• domineering
• dominating
• patronizing
• condescending
• immodest
• uninhibited
• self-complacent
• self-important
• outgoing
• self-congratulatory
• self-centered
• self-satisfied
• self-contented
• unreserved
• self-affected
• swelled-headed
• self-engrossed
• extroverted
• self-pleased
• braggy
• self-conceited
• stuck-up
• self-obsessed
• pontificating

Synonym Chooser

How is the word modest distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of modest are chaste, decent, and pure. While all these words mean "free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious," 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

When is it sensible to use chaste instead of modest?

While the synonyms chaste and modest are close in meaning, 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

How do pure and chaste relate to one another, in the sense of modest?

Pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions.

the pure of heart

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of modest

The tale of two Italian immigrant brothers who dream of running a successful restaurant in America, the film was a huge favorite in Sundance and could achieve modest commercial success despite its lack of exploitable elements. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 20 Sep. 2026

Supporters, including the Motion Picture Editors Guild, had pushed for a credit that would be tenfold larger — $100 million — but see the more modest allocation as a positive first step. — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 19 Sep. 2026

Pattinson’s other longtime home was considerably more modest and, appropriately for a celebrity bachelor pad, very private. — Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2026

At the time of their deaths, the couple lived with their adult daughters — 41-year-old Emma and 32-year-old Lizzie — and their maid, Bridget Sullivan, in a relatively modest home. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026