as in meek
not talking or behaving in a loud and confident way
a modest, unassertive person an unassertive manner
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Recent Examples of unassertive
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
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
-
Small mercies are welcome when the losses are this meek.—
Tim Ellis,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
-
Sometimes, young players of his profile are quite meek — apologetic for their ability, even.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
The Athletic,
27 July 2024
Adjective
-
Instead, Ram is using the humble 3.6 L Pentastar V6.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
-
By the time Napoleon invaded Egypt, in 1798, Alexandria had become a humble Ottoman port.—
Hannah Edgar,
ARTnews.com,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The decline was sharper than predicted by a Reuters poll of analysts, reversing January’s modest 0.5% increase and marking the first contraction since January 2024.—
John Liu,
CNN,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Gloria, her shy and soft-spoken best friend, lives with her Ghanaian father in a modest apartment, rarely speaking to a mother who moved to Germany years ago.—
Christopher Vourlias,
Variety,
10 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Cannoli certainly seemed to be timid around dogs who bark a lot, leading Saulino to believe she felt intimidated by them.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
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Zych was impressed by Lekki’s transformation from timid freshman to inspiring team leader.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unassertive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unassertive. Accessed 14 Mar. 2025.
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