ˈmädə̇st adjective
( sometimes -er/-est )
Etymology: Latin modestus moderate, modest — more at mete
1.
a. : having a limited and not exaggerated estimate of one's abilities or worth : lacking in vanity or conceit : not bold or self-assertive
the well-bred man … is modest without being bashful, and steady without being impudent — Earl of Chesterfield
was entirely natural, modest , and unaffected in manner — Eliot Clark
was so certain he was right he could be rather charmingly simple and modest — T.R.Ybarra
b. : diffident and retiring in manner : shy
the most modest , silent, sheepfaced and meek of little men — W.M.Thackeray
2. : arising from or showing a self-effacing and unassertive attitude : free from exaggeration or overstatement : reasonable , moderate
the reply seems calm, modest and highly persuasive — R.K.Carr
what nearly all newsmen were actually doing was a modest job of explaining the bald facts — F.L.Mott
his emotions he records in the plain and modest language of the eighteenth century — Theodore Baird
3. : observing conventional standards of proper dress and behavior : free from coarseness or indecency : chaste in thought and conduct
all the females of our family have been perfectly modest and delicate — Margaret Deland
the pure bashful maiden was too modest , too tender, too trustful — W.M.Thackeray
4.
a. : limited in size or amount : not excessive
a quietly prosperous rural society, in which landownership, opportunity and modest wealth were widely distributed — G.M.Trevelyan
while their means were always modest there was no trace of dire poverty — J.T.Ellis
the galaxy of which our sun is a modest member — B.J.Bok
b. : limited in extent or aim : not showy or ostentatious : unpretentious
the day-to-day work of the scientist depends on modest working hypotheses rather than on broad sweeping theories — Eric Ashby
press agent for a modest nightclub — Newsweek
quite famous in a modest sort of way — Robertson Davies
Synonyms: see chaste , humble , shy