modestly

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 modestly Smart-casual works almost everywhere, but dress modestly (elbows, knees covered) in heritage spots. Manal Albarakati, semafor.com, 24 Oct. 2025 Views on personal finances also improved modestly. Martha McHardy, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025 After performing only modestly at the box office, the film, starring Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow, found a cult fandom thanks to home video and cable reruns. Keaton Bell, Vogue, 24 Oct. 2025 Analysts say pump prices are likely to rise modestly in the coming days. Matt Egan, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025 Research shows a full moon can modestly affect sleep, but its influence on mental health is much less certain. Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, The Conversation, 21 Oct. 2025 Bitcoin , a negative outlier last week, rebounded modestly, up 2%. Michael Santoli, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2025 We’re modestly paid teachers and a trip to South America is well beyond our budgets. R. Eric Thomas, Denver Post, 19 Oct. 2025 Shares of Zions and Western Alliance rebounded modestly on Friday. Jason Ma, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modestly
Adverb
  • While skiing in the Dolomites, I was humbly reminded that most hotel rooms in Italy don’t have coffee makers.
    Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Greenidge puts her aims even more humbly.
    Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • His friend had innocently landed on that scene.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Oct. 2025
  • In a thriller, the suspense is built around a challenge posed to the protagonist — the last big score before retiring, being innocently accused of a crime or accidentally getting involved in something dangerous and deadly.
    Anders de la Motte, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • But Kane didn’t make that shirt and politely declined to comment on it.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2025
  • The experience was, politely stated, a rocky one.
    Jeff Pearlman, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • An engineer with a litter-picker grabbed the fallen cloth and sheepishly moved it behind the machine, out of my line of sight.
    Billy Perrigo, Time, 14 Oct. 2025
  • In Inwood, even a pair of volunteers for Cuomo sheepishly stopped him for selfies.
    Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • Unhealthy roots can’t properly absorb nutrients the plant needs.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The lawsuit alleges the property was not properly licensed for rental and did not have appropriate smoke detectors.
    Kelli Arseneau, jsonline.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • Princess Bride is superbly planned and deferentially orchestrated — its theme fits its telling.
    Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2025
Adverb
  • The key question now is whether these shows of force are purely symbolic or if the next strike, flight, or covert action could trigger a direct confrontation between the two countries.
    Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
  • And, just in time for Halloween, The Twisted Spine, New York’s first bookstore dedicated purely to horror, has opened its doors in Williamsburg.
    Hilton Als, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2025
Adverb
  • In other words, students prepare for citizenship in a disputatious society by practicing the civic arts—by asserting and advocating for their views—not by meekly absorbing lessons from their instructors.
    Christopher L. Eisgruber, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Well, after years of stuttering, pausing, juddering, waiting for the goalkeeper to dive and then rolling spot kicks meekly into the net, Nick Woltemade may have just reversed the trend.
    Tim Spiers, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Modestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modestly. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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