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modest
4 dictionary results for: modest
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
mod·est       [mod-ist] Pronunciation Key
–adjective
1.having or showing a moderate or humble estimate of one's merits, importance, etc.; free from vanity, egotism, boastfulness, or great pretensions.
2.free from ostentation or showy extravagance: a modest house.
3.having or showing regard for the decencies of behavior, speech, dress, etc.; decent: a modest neckline on a dress.
4.limited or moderate in amount, extent, etc.: a modest increase in salary.
[Origin: 1555–65; < L modestus restrained, decorous, equiv. to modes- (s. of *modus, an s-stem akin to modus mode1, perh. < *medos, with the vowel of modus; cf. moderārī to moderate, from the same n. stem) + -tus adj. suffix]

—Related forms
mod·est·ly, adverb

—Synonyms 1. retiring, unassuming. 1, 2. unpretentious, unobtrusive. 3. pure, virtuous. Modest, demure, prudish imply conformity to propriety and decorum, and a distaste for anything coarse or loud. Modest implies a becoming shyness, sobriety, and proper behavior: a modest, self-respecting person. Demure implies a bashful, quiet simplicity, staidness, and decorum; but can also indicate an assumed or affected modesty: a demure young chorus girl. Prudish suggests an exaggeratedly self-conscious modesty or propriety in behavior or conversation of one who wishes to be thought of as easily shocked and who often is intolerant: a prudish objection to a harmless remark.
—Antonyms 3. bold, coarse.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
mod·est       (mŏd'ĭst)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  
  1. Having or showing a moderate estimation of one's own talents, abilities, and value.
  2. Having or proceeding from a disinclination to call attention to oneself; retiring or diffident. See Synonyms at shy1.
  3. Observing conventional proprieties in speech, behavior, or dress.
  4. Free from showiness or ostentation; unpretentious. See Synonyms at plain.
  5. Moderate or limited in size, quantity, or range; not extreme: a modest price; a newspaper with a modest circulation.


[Latin modestus; see med- in Indo-European roots.]

mod'est·ly adv.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
modest

adjective
1. marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; "a modest apartment"; "too modest to wear his medals" [ant: immodest] 
2. not large but sufficient in size or amount; "a modest salary"; "modest inflation"; "helped in my own small way" 
3. free from pomp or affectation; "comfortable but modest cottages"; "a simple rectangular brick building"; "a simple man with simple tastes" 
4. not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance [ant: immodest] 
5. low or inferior in station or quality; "a humble cottage"; "a lowly parish priest"; "a modest man of the people"; "small beginnings" [syn: humble] 
6. humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness; "meek and self-effacing" [syn: meek] 
7. limited in size or scope; "a small business"; "a newspaper with a modest circulation"; "small-scale plans"; "a pocket-size country" [syn: minor] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Modest

Mod"est\, a. [F. modeste, L. modestus, fr. modus measure. See Mode.]

1. Restraining within due limits of propriety; not forward, bold, boastful, or presumptious; rather retiring than pushing one's self forward; not obstructive; as, a modest youth; a modest man.

2. Observing the proprieties of the sex; not unwomanly in act or bearing; free from undue familiarity, indecency, or lewdness; decent in speech and demeanor; -- said of a woman.

Mrs. Ford, the honest woman, the modest wife. --Shak.

The blushing beauties of a modest maid. --Dryden.

3. Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate; as, a modest request; modest joy.

Syn: Reserved; unobtrusive; diffident; bashful; coy; shy; decent; becoming; chaste; virtuous.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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