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modest

adjective
mod·​est | \ ˈmĂ€-dəst How to pronounce modest (audio) \

Definition of modest

1a : placing a moderate estimate on one's abilities or worth
b : neither bold nor self-assertive : tending toward diffidence
2 : arising from or characteristic of a modest nature
3 : observing the proprieties of dress and behavior : decent
4a : limited in size, amount, or scope a family of modest means
b : unpretentious a modest home
Other Words from modest Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym Modest: Ever So Humble More Example Sentences Learn More about modest

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Other Words from modest

modestly adverb

Choose the Right Synonym for modest

shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward. shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others. shy with strangers bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence. a bashful boy out on his first date diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking. felt diffident about raising an objection modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit. modest about her success coy implies a pretended shyness. put off by her coy manner

chaste, pure, modest, decent mean free from all taint of what is lewd or salacious. 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 pure differs from chaste in implying innocence and absence of temptation rather than control of one's impulses and actions. the pure of heart 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

Modest: Ever So Humble

When used to modify a sum or amount, or to mean "unpretentious," modest conveys a sense of not being excessive:

Captives received a modest salary of $0.80 per day, working at farms around Sonoma County picking apples, prunes, hops and other crops.
Janet Balicki, The Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat, 8 Dec. 2016

The minister of foreign affairs drove up in a modest car and joined our conversation.
Michael Taussig, Vice, 22 June 2016

The adjective humble is often used this way too, as when one speaks of "one's humble abode." Both words can be used in a humorous way that might be seen as self-deprecating.

Like humble, modest adequately describe one who does not boast about one's achievements, thereby avoiding a different kind of excessiveness:

Louisa May Alcott was always modest about her gifts; whatever early dreams of genius she might have nourished had been knocked out of her years before her literary fame arrived.
Barbara L. Packer, The New York Times Book Review, 25 Oct. 1987

Soft-spoken and modest in conversation, Knoll would be accomplished enough with his visual-effects credits in movies alone.
Julie Hinds, The Detroit Free Press, 11 Dec. 2016

Examples of modest in a Sentence

The foundry work was grueling, but for a little longer Brierfield afforded these African Americans a way station of modest freedom and a residue of authentic independence that was fast disappearing for most rural blacks. — Douglas A. Blackmon, Slavery By Another Name, 2008 
 these remnants he lacked the will to discard, depressed him, deepening the low fever of depression in which even as modest a task as removing a blue doorknob loomed like a mountain almost impossible to climb. — John Updike, Harper's, October 2004 You're the hero, so then you have to behave in a certain way—there is a prescription for it. You have to be modest, you have to be forbearing, you have to be deferential, you have to be understanding. — Philip Roth, American Pastoral, 1997 They own a modest home near the beach. She enjoyed modest success with her singing career. He earns a modest income. We live on a modest budget. New cars are now available at relatively modest prices. He has only a modest amount of knowledge on the subject. It is a book of only modest importance. She's very modest about her achievements. Don't be so modest. Your performance was wonderful! “I'm not a hero. I was just doing my job,” he said in his characteristically modest way.
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Recent Examples on the Web

 Her former home is one of dozens of Catholic shrines and pilgrimage sites in the United States, ranging from modest to grand. — Washington Post, "‘Miracle house’ in Ohio draws pilgrims amid sainthood push," 18 Aug. 2019 The only part of the United States that has not warmed significantly since the late 1800s is the South, especially Mississippi and Alabama, where data in some cases shows modest cooling. — Anchorage Daily News, "Extreme climate change has arrived in America. Here are the fastest-warming places.," 13 Aug. 2019 Inflation is a modest 11%—far below its peak of 24,000% in 1994. — The Economist, "How do you reform a country where gunmen torch Ebola clinics?," 2 Aug. 2019 The company would rehab the buildings, improve their energy efficiency, then commit to keep rent increases modest for decades to come while still turning profits for investors. — oregonlive.com, "Political ties may yield taxpayer boost for private housing developers in Portland," 30 July 2019 Ambition in the genre itself is more modest, with imitators piling on in hopes of sharing in the riches. — Jason M. Bailey, New York Times, "Fortnite Drew Imitators to Survival Games. Who Will Be the Last One Standing?," 30 July 2019 The modest, humble man from Wapakoneta, Ohio, shied from the spotlight in the decades after his flight aboard Apollo 11 and his July 20, 1969, walk on the lunar surface. — Anne Saker, Cincinnati.com, "Neil Armstrong: Mercy Health paid his family $6 million settlement after his death," 23 July 2019 Others, like Biden, pitch something more modest, a restoration to the pre-Trump era. — Nicole Sganga, CBS News, "In New Hampshire, 2020 Democrats battle for every voter they can find," 9 Aug. 2019 Weight gain was modest in that group over the 96 weeks—5 kilograms in women and 4 kilograms in men. — Jon Cohen, Science | AAAS, "Popular anti-HIV drugs result in ‘10 years of weight gain in 2 years’ for some women," 7 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'modest.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of modest

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

History and Etymology for modest

Latin modestus moderate; akin to Latin modus measure

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More Definitions for modest

modest

adjective
How to pronounce modest (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of modest

: not very large in size or amount
approving : not too proud or confident about yourself or your abilities : not showing or feeling great or excessive pride
of clothing : not showing too much of a person's body

See the full definition for modest in the English Language Learners Dictionary

modest

adjective
mod·​est | \ ˈmĂ€-dəst

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