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

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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 Intel shares are modestly higher, making back some of Tuesday's more than 3% decline. — Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 Instead, researchers found homelessness decreased modestly in 2026, and although assaults and robberies have been elevated compared with the early 2010s, more than 70% of the incidents occur in 5% of the city’s area. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 Other takes on the genre were more modestly priced, though still a hike from the build-it-yourself versions about which some commenters reminisced from their days in Scouts (and just tinkering in their own garages). — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026 Key Takeaways Aged garlic supplements may modestly lower blood pressure, especially in people with hypertension. — Sukhman Rekhi, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2026 OpenAI earlier this month released GPT-6 Astra, which has sometimes been modestly beating Opus 5 in benchmarks and user sentiment. — Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026 Outside, a sparkling, if modestly sized, pool with plush lounge chairs sat back from the dunes, overlooking the ocean. — Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for modestly

Adverb

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
Oeffling humbly downplays the appeal of his music, which has a familiar, early 2000s aesthetic that sounds indebted to the spirit of Yo La Tengo and Broken Social Scene, as well as contemporaries like Alex G.

— Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of humbly

Adverb

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
The scoring started innocently enough, Stockton marching the team 79 yards on an 11-play workmanlike touchdown drive.

— Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of innocently

Adverb

Among the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets in France on Tuesday were Paolina and Violette, eighteen and seventeen years old, arguing politely with a white-haired man sucking apple juice from a juice box.

— Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2026
Kaya spoke first at the hearing, politely greeting the judge from a seat in front of a set of curtains.

— Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 8 Oct. 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

Whether the military was properly prepared for treating its wounded in the current Iran war has become a sharp point of contention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
If a regular electric toothbrush already does the job when used properly, how much is a toothbrush camera actually adding?

— Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of properly

Adverb

Everyone pretends the films were chosen purely on merit, but the slate often reads Hollywood with a lanyard and a conscience.

— Joseph Kahn, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
Separately, the standard bars new dyeing and finishing operations, excluding purely physical finishing, from sending wastewater to municipal treatment plants, according to the environment ministry.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of purely

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modest

modestly

modesty

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“Modestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modestly. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of modestly

adverb

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