as in meek
not talking or behaving in a loud and confident way
a modest, unassertive person an unassertive manner
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Recent Examples of unassertive
Avoiding is unassertive and uncooperative, where an individual tends to give up on their own needs and acquiesce to the desires of others by disengaging from the situation altogether.
—
Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Shy and unassertive, she’s often been overlooked by others and kept to herself.
—Yasmine Alsayyad, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
After a time, Patterson’s play-it-down-the-middle approach feels less like the remembrances of a Renaissance man and more like evasive, unassertive hedging.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 6 June 2022
The sun, only rarely in evidence behind gray clouds, set quickly and bade us an unassertive farewell.
—Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2022
My own thoughts have been along the line of weak, unassertive, super humble and timid.
—Glenna Christensen, idahostatesman, 14 June 2018
Meryl Streep stars as Post owner Katherine Graham, an unassertive socialite who normally follows the journalistic lead of her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks, playing it too cute).
—John Powers, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2017
Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Accommodating, which is unassertive and cooperative, prioritizes the needs and preferences of others over one’s own in order to maintain harmony.
—Ellen Choi, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Shy and unassertive, she’s often been overlooked by others and kept to herself.
—Yasmine Alsayyad, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
After a time, Patterson’s play-it-down-the-middle approach feels less like the remembrances of a Renaissance man and more like evasive, unassertive hedging.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 6 June 2022
The sun, only rarely in evidence behind gray clouds, set quickly and bade us an unassertive farewell.
—Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2022
My own thoughts have been along the line of weak, unassertive, super humble and timid.
—Glenna Christensen, idahostatesman, 14 June 2018
Meryl Streep stars as Post owner Katherine Graham, an unassertive socialite who normally follows the journalistic lead of her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks, playing it too cute).
—John Powers, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unassertive
Adjective
-
Antoinette becomes a de facto leader when her meek husband crumbles under pressure.—
Los Angeles Times Staff,
Los Angeles Times,
3 July 2025
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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
Adjective
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Both Dunn’s and Watt’s stories exemplify two former standout NFL players who reached the pinnacle of their professions yet never forgot their humble beginnings, continuing to remain empathetic and grounded.—
Mark LaSota,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
-
Moore doesn’t agree that Beshear needs to be bolder, or somehow less humble to attract a national following.—
Taylor Antrim,
Vogue,
21 July 2025
Adjective
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There is typically a seasonal decline in beef prices as grilling season slows down into the fall, but those price declines are likely to be modest.—
Josh Funk,
Chicago Tribune,
18 July 2025
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But this week, Trump — always looking for a shiny object — is forcing his minions in Congress to muscle through a bill that ends the modest subsidy for the CPB (along with billions in foreign aid and other noble causes).—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
17 July 2025
Adjective
-
Alexis Bittar has never been shy about shining a light on subjects those with a timid approach would avoid.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
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But the timid reaction also underscored Europe’s bystander role, contrasting with its past approach on that topic.—
Garret Martin,
The Conversation,
15 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unassertive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unassertive. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.
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