1
as in average
being about midway between extremes of amount or size
he was awarded a modest pension when he retired
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pure
free from any trace of the coarse or indecent
tended to wear more modest swimsuits than the thong-clad guests at the resort
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3
as in shy
not comfortable around people
a modest winner who said a quick thank-you and promptly left the stage
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4
as in humble
not having or showing any feelings of superiority, self-assertiveness, or showiness
appealingly modest about her success in the fashion industry
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of modest
Carney's Liberal Party holds a modest lead over the Conservatives, according to the latest polling from CBC News.
—
Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
The contrast makes an American happy: on the one side, tradition, serious public performance, luxury; on the other, émigré teachers, amateur musicales and family shenanigans, casual summers in the modest countryside.
—David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
And as with many people in this market, the modest storefront with its inexpensive products does not indicate the scale of their enterprise.
—Steve Inskeep, NPR, 1 Apr. 2025
The songwriting, the performances and the production all lend themselves well to becoming a modest hit here.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for modest
Jason D. Greenblatt, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2025
The contrast makes an American happy: on the one side, tradition, serious public performance, luxury; on the other, émigré teachers, amateur musicales and family shenanigans, casual summers in the modest countryside.
—David Denby, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2025
And as with many people in this market, the modest storefront with its inexpensive products does not indicate the scale of their enterprise.
—Steve Inskeep, NPR, 1 Apr. 2025
The songwriting, the performances and the production all lend themselves well to becoming a modest hit here.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for modest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modest
Adjective
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With the average global tariff at approximately 18%, U.S. economic growth will slow to around 1% for the next several quarters, with inflation rising back to 5%, estimated Mark Dowding, BlueBay chief investment officer at RBC Global Asset Management.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
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Tide Sandal Your average flip flops certainly don’t have the arch support of these stylish sandals, designed with Vionic’s exclusive alignment technology.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
People.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Far too many left to get it on three without pure luck.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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To suggest that the cartels might import coca leaves to extract cocaine makes about as much sense as suggesting that someone would import Dom Perignon to secure by chemical processing pure extracts of ethyl alcohol.—
Wade Davis,
Rolling Stone,
6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The comedian isn’t shy about bringing up his children during his shows and specials, including his 2025 Netflix special, Bert Kreischer: Lucky.—
Stephanie Wenger,
People.com,
3 Apr. 2025
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And according to a couple of the seniors in the secondary, the young defensive backs haven’t been shy about it.—
Dan Lovi,
Oc Register,
3 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Still, Hubbard likely didn’t mind, as the humble and grateful fifth-year senior was simply happy his unlikely career would continue.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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On Friday, South Korea’s former President was forced to eat the humble variety after his impeachment over an earlier martial law declaration was unanimously confirmed by the nation’s Constitutional Court.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Case in point: this two-story container house is listed at Amazon for under $50,000, less than a quarter of the current median home price.—
Staff Author,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Apr. 2025
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Bear markets accompanied by recessions had a median duration of 528 calendar days and a market decline of 32.8 percent, the firm has found, using Dow Jones industrial average data since 1900.—
Jeff Sommer,
New York Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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McKenzie Ortega, Pinole Valley softball: Ortega pitched a no-hitter against St. Patrick-St. Vincent, striking out 13, tossing an immaculate inning in the second and going 2 for 4 at the plate with two singles and two walks.—
Christian Babcock,
The Mercury News,
20 Mar. 2025
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And of course, leader of the hot girls and beauty icon Megan Thee Stallion is known for having immaculate taste in weird nails.—
Kleigh Balugo,
StyleCaster,
7 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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The withdrawn San Francisco drama, about lonely nonbinary nanny and restaurant server Cass (Asia Kate Dillon), is simple in its presentation, but disguises numerous layers to its story.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2025
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Jade and John told Dateline both had noticed their daughter was acting a bit withdrawn in the period leading up to her disappearance.—
Veronica Fulton,
NBC News,
12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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One of the film’s most tragic figures is Fred’s meek and traumatized young widow (Norah Mwansa), who is treated abominably by Shula’s aunts.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2025
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The series stars Purnell (Yellowjackets, Sweetbitter) as Rhiannon Lewis, a meek newspaper-office receptionist who was mercilessly bullied in high school.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
3 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Modest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modest. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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