MODESTLY Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

modestly

adverb

Definition of modestly

as in humbly

in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion spoke modestly about his accomplishments as an entrepreneur

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in innocently

with purity of thought and deed dressed modestly to go to church

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 One of my favorite shows is Happy Endings, a modestly successful sit-com that ran on ABC from 2011–2013. — The Bon Appétit Staff, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026 China and Europe are holding their positions and inching up modestly, the executive said. — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026 On October 15, Lloyd’s List Intelligence reported that transit through the Bab el Mandeb Strait was up modestly from August. — Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2026 So far, it's been chipping away at that objective one to four people at a time, with modestly sized offerings for tree and ground. — New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2026 There are some bright spots in technology, like cybersecurity and chip stocks, keeping the sector modestly in the green on the day but not enough to keep the S & P 500 and Nasdaq out of the red. — Alexa Lomonaco,matthew J. Belvedere,jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 Some studies have found that tea consumption can modestly improve blood pressure, cholesterol levels and other markers of cardiovascular health. — Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 Both are curled in chairs in an otherwise empty room in an upscale Hyde Park Corner hotel, modestly dressed in jeans, sneakers and casual tops. — Emily Zemler, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Key Takeaways Cinnamon may modestly lower cholesterol as part of a heart-healthy eating pattern. — Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 14 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for modestly

Adverb

Related Stories Speaking to Variety on the red carpet at its London Film Festival premiere on Sunday, Garfield — who has been Oscar-nominated twice but never won — reacted humbly to the praise.

— Alex Ritman, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026
And, as j-hope so humbly mentioned, the awards are just another milestone to add to what has already been a massive year for the group.

— Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of humbly

Adverb

Scottie’s pursuit of Madeleine, first as a quarry, begins innocently enough.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
His ideas align with Hinton’s, and by 2013 the two of them—along with a third partner, Fedor Fedotov’s Alex Krizhevsky—find themselves at Google, innocently pursuing their research.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of innocently

Adverb

This time, a large group of bicycle neophytes led by a teacher pulled up slowly and politely paused at the crosswalk.

— Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2026
The outcomes suggest that money and its purest embodiments will be forced to slip politely back behind the curtain, to support more relatable public figures.

— Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of politely

Adverb

The solution is a lot of morphine and a lot of rest, both of which Cathy undertakes with Adam constantly (and chastely) by her side.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Take The Music Lesson, a study of a young woman playing the virginal, closely watched by a gentleman, which Graham-Dixon reads as a depiction of Collegiants chastely performing and singing psalms.

— Clare Bucknell, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026

Definition of chastely

Adverb

No salesperson wants to sheepishly explain that some of the bells and whistles on a customer’s new toy sit behind a paywall.

— Emma Witman, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2026
The hotel is home to the only Starbucks in Wailea so people—however sheepishly—flock here just for that.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of sheepishly

Adverb

They were taken to a hospital where the child, a two-year-old girl who was properly restrained in the vehicle, died of her injuries.

— Senior Editor, CBS News, 11 Nov. 2026
To address these gaps, Texas 2036 is proposing one entity take the responsibility for ensuring Texas’ childcare system is properly serving families and children.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of properly

Adverb

Some stories can harden moral perception, of course, pushing us to dichotomize the purely good and the purely evil, as in the moral pornography of superhero comics and revenge flicks.

— Paul Bloom, New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2026
SpaceX became the first purely commercial launch startup to announce plans to build a new medium-lift rocket about two decades ago, in 2005.

— Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of purely

Browse Nearby Words

modest

modestly

modesty

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Modestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modestly. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of modestly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

valorous

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes