modest.

1. Not inclined to boast about one's abilities, achievements, or importance.

2. Relatively small, moderate, or limited in amount, size, degree, or ambition.

3. In clothing or conduct, avoiding exposure or display considered excessive within a particular social or cultural context.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• modest about one's achievements
• a modest budget
• a modest improvement
• modest ambitions
• a modest dress

On the page

Even after winning the prize, she remained modest about her work.

The study found a modest improvement in reading speed after six weeks.

She chose a modest dress with a high neckline and long sleeves.

Usage notes

Modest can describe a person's unassuming manner, a limited scale or degree, or context-dependent standards of dress and behavior. A modest person need not lack confidence; modest emphasizes not showing off rather than thinking poorly of oneself. A modest improvement is a limited improvement, not necessarily an unimportant one. Clothing standards vary: modest is not an objective judgment of someone's moral worth. Comparative: more modest; superlative: most modest. Related derivations, not inflections: modesty (noun), modestly (adverb), immodest (adjective). Common modern English; neutral register.