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4 dictionary results for: modest
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
mod·est
[mod-ist] Pronunciation Key
—Related forms
[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.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| mod·est
(mŏd'ĭst) Pronunciation Key
adj.
[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.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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.
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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