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as in humble
not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness appealingly modest about her success in the fashion industry

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word modest distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of modest are chaste, decent, and pure. While all these words mean "free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious," modest and decent apply especially to deportment and dress as outward signs of inward chastity or purity.

preferred more modest swimsuits
decent people didn't go to such movies

When is it sensible to use chaste instead of modest?

While the synonyms chaste and modest are close in meaning, chaste primarily implies a refraining from acts or even thoughts or desires that are not virginal or not sanctioned by marriage vows.

they maintained chaste relations

How do pure and chaste relate to one another, in the sense of modest?

Pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions.

the pure of heart

Examples 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 modest In that case, Fox made a modest admission that incorrect claims had been made, but Dominion Voting Systems was able to reveal the size of the settlement — the more telling concession. David Folkenflik, NPR, 21 Jan. 2025 Two excellent current QBs with modest sprint speed are Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Jan. 2025 The year-on-year increases at each major are more modest, usually between 10 and 12 percent, but that percentage of tournament revenue remains steadfast, if not entirely immovable. Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025 In the bond market, which has been the bigger focus for Wall Street recently, the moves were also more modest after the last month’s charge higher for yields. Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for modest 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modest
Adjective
  • Those ratings create an estimate of how many goals each team is expected to score and allow in a game against an average opponent at a neutral site.
    Dom Luszczyszyn, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
  • More than 25 million people are under winter weather alerts from Florida to Virginia today — all while much of the central and eastern US face temperatures running 20-30 degrees below average.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • This design was first launched in yellow gold with a silver dial, and this configuration remains the purest expression of the asymmetrical concept.
    Blake Buettner, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2025
  • Our second most-clicked cleaning story of the year focuses on restoring silver jewelry, and the difference between sterling silver and pure silver.
    Katelyn Squiers, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Outdoors, a heated in-ground swimming pool, a lounge area, and a barbecue station are positioned around a landscaped lot that’s just shy of an acre.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 22 Jan. 2025
  • The team’s 502 points marked just the second time in franchise history that Tampa Bay totaled over 500 points and was just nine points shy of matching the franchise-best mark of 511 points in 2021.
    Jeff Howe, The Athletic, 22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The Type 2 sits among some of the more humble and accessible classics.
    Trinity Francis, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Even Bend feels changed, its population surging, its character shifting, the way humble towns do when they are discovered by outsiders.
    John Branch, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, prices on homes that did sell have been very high, as more sales at the high end of the market nudged median prices higher.
    Laurel Wamsley, NPR, 24 Jan. 2025
  • The median price of an existing home, meanwhile, has climbed for 18 months straight, reaching a record high of $407,500 in 2024.
    Bryan Mena, CNN, 24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Guests throughout the year are dazzled by Fulk’s exquisite interiors and immaculate attention to detail, but the holidays will bring something special.
    Meredith Lepore, Robb Report, 24 Dec. 2024
  • For most of the restaurant’s existence, Herrera sat on a chair at the counter, with immaculate red nails, taking orders and writing the names of customers on paper bags.
    Erica Zora Wrightson, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Pettersson is more withdrawn, more cerebral, more sensitive and certainly not prone to confrontation by nature.
    Chris Johnston, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Introverts may become talkative, or extroverts quiet and withdrawn.
    Dr. Talia Varley, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Each tree has promised itself right up from the ground, branches full of dying... Elegy Written In A City Cemetery Sina Queyras Somebody left the world last night, and last, and last, and last: wild is the glower of wind, and words too thin, too meek to shelter.
    Max Ufberg, hazlitt.net, 10 Jan. 2025
  • He was supposed to be a meek guy who doesn’t speak up.
    Josh Weiss, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025

Thesaurus Entries Near modest

Cite this Entry

“Modest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modest. Accessed 27 Jan. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on modest

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