modest adj

1 marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; "a modest apartment"; "too modest to wear his medals" [ant: immodest]

2 not large but sufficient in size or amount; "a modest salary"; "modest inflation"; "helped in my own small way" [syn: small]

3 free from pomp or affectation; "comfortable but modest cottages"; "a simple rectangular brick building"; "a simple man with simple tastes"

4 not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance [ant: immodest]

5 low or inferior in station or quality; "a humble cottage"; "a lowly parish priest"; "a modest man of the people"; "small beginnings" [syn: humble, low, lowly, small]

6 humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness; "meek and self-effacing" [syn: meek, mild]

7 limited in size or scope; "a small business"; "a newspaper with a modest circulation"; "small-scale plans"; "a pocket-size country" [syn: minor, small, small-scale, pocket-size, pocket-sized]

8 free from ostentation or pretension; "the restrained elegance of the room" [syn: restrained, unostentatious]

English

Pronunciation

IPA: /ˈmɑdəst/

Adjective

1. Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements, unpretentious, humble.
2. Small, moderate in size.

   He earns a modest amount of money.

   Her latest novel was a modest success.

3. (especially of behaviour or clothing) Avoiding being sexually suggestive.

Derived terms

• modesty

Translations

• Czech: skromný
• Dutch: bescheiden
• French: modeste
• German: bescheiden
• Greek: ταπεινός
• Italian: modesto
• Latvian: pieticīgs
• Slovene: skromen , skromna , skromno

Modest may refer to:

• Michael Modest (born 1971), semi-retired American professional wrestler
• Modest (e-mail client), a free, open source, e-mail client

People with the given name Modest:

• Modest, Bishop of Trier (died 489), German saint
• Modest Altschuler (1873-1963), cellist, orchestral conductor, and composer
• Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1850-1916), Russian dramatist, opera librettist and translator
• Modest Morariu (1929-1988), poet, essayist, prose writer and translator
• Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881), Russian composer
• Modest Romiszewski (1861-1930), military theorist
• Modest Urgell (1839-1919), Spanish painter, illustrator, and playwright

See also

• Modeste
• Modesty

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