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modest |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Modest \Mod"est\, a. [F. modeste, L. modestus fr modus measure. See {Mode}.] 1. Restraining within due limits of propriety; not forward, bold, boastful, or presumptious; rather retiring than pushing one's self forward; not obstructive; as a modest youth; a modest man. 2. Observing the proprieties of the sex; not unwomanly in act or bearing; free from undue familiarity, indecency, or lewdness; decent in speech and demeanor; -- said of a woman. Mrs. Ford, the honest woman, the modest wife. --Shak. The blushing beauties of a modest maid. --Dryden. 3. Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate; as a modest request; modest joy. Syn: Reserved; unobtrusive; diffident; bashful; coy; shy; decent; becoming; chaste; virtuous. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: 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 plain blue suit"; "a simple rectangular brick building"; "a simple man with simple tastes" [syn: {plain}, {simple}] 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" [syn: {minor}, {small}, {small-scale}] 8: free from ostentation or pretension; "the restrained elegance of the room" [syn: {restrained}, {unostentatious}]
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