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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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of modest Man in legal battle to recover $800 million bitcoin fortune from landfill Read more Man in legal battle to recover $800 million bitcoin fortune from landfill Back in 2011, when Bitcoin traded at roughly $0.78 per coin, these wallets represented a modest investment of around $7,800 each. Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 July 2025 Nevertheless, this modest 10 parts per million early CO2 increase is still large enough to lead to significant cooling of the stratosphere over 1860 to 1899. Ben Santer, Scientific American, 4 July 2025 There could be some relief along the lakeshore with a modest breeze coming in, Sheppard added. Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025 When people are unable to build even modest savings, they’re left more exposed to financial shocks, like unemployment or medical emergencies or hurricanes. Miami Herald, 3 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for modest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modest
Adjective
  • The average term of those loans as of the first quarter this year was 69.5 months.
    Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 9 July 2025
  • According to Baseball Savant, his average fastball of 92.4 mph is in just the 21st percentile of pitchers in the game, but his fastball’s run value is in the 89th percentile.
    C. Trent Rosecrans, New York Times, 9 July 2025
Adjective
  • In many ways, the time trial is the purest form of cycling — a body and a bike, alone against the clock, but its engineering focus means that wealthier teams often excel.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 11 July 2025
  • Happening in early May, the festival’s events are pure Americana.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • Guests did not shy from donning some of the designer’s more out-there creations.
    Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 9 July 2025
  • Talk about Travis Scott starts just shy of the 1:30 mark.
    Michael Saponara, Billboard, 8 July 2025
Adjective
  • Your support has helped grow the team from its humble beginnings to an F1 powerhouse that laid claim to 6 Constructors Championships and 8 Drivers Championships.
    Saajan Jogia, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
  • Other successes like Mark Cuban and Keke Palmer, who similarly came from humble beginnings, echo his frugal habits and anxieties.
    Preston Fore, Fortune, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • New Canaan, where the median annual household income is $163,355, was granted a moratorium earlier this year that temporarily exempts it from lawsuits under 8-30g.
    Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 11 July 2025
  • Washington University has seen its endowment balloon in recent years—at the end of fiscal 2021, the endowment netted a mind-boggling 65% return (the median return for college endowments that year was 27%), which brought its value from $9.6 billion to $15.3 billion.
    Emma Whitford, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Adjective
  • It is described as being in immaculate condition and is showing fewer than 5,400 miles from new.
    Alistair Charlton, Forbes.com, 30 June 2025
  • If that pitch had been called a strike, Yamamoto would have achieved the rare feat of an immaculate inning.
    Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 20 June 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Antoinette becomes a de facto leader when her meek husband crumbles under pressure.
    Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2025
  • The end of season 2 turned the tables on the meek Ada and domineering Agnes when Agnes lost her fortune thanks to her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) trusting the wrong people.
    Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 23 June 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Modest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modest. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

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