as in meek
not talking or behaving in a loud and confident way
a modest, unassertive person an unassertive manner
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of unassertive
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
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
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The Old Lady have underperformed for much of the campaign, and their meek exit from the Champions League at the hands of PSV Eindhoven increased the scrutiny on Motta, who’s only been in the job since last June.—
Emmet Gates,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
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The column was, if anything, meek to the point of embarrassing.—
Ruth Marcus,
The New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Sometimes those simple, humble, short-on-ingredients dishes are some of our most cherished.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
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Articulate yet humble in interviews, Coleman is the ultimate team player on the court and the biggest supporter of his teammates off it.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The Most Popular Menu Items At first, the course’s modest menu was built out of necessity.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Because of its modest scale and deliberately slow pace of growth, referrals to the National Emergency Child Care Network are by word of mouth.—
Christine Ro,
Forbes,
22 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
To say that does not trivialize the Holocaust, as some timid folk insist.—
Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel Editorial Boards,
Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2025
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In middle age, Didi has also become timid after being let down too much by others.—
Stephen Saito,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unassertive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unassertive. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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