ˈmädə̇stē, -ti noun
( -es )
Etymology: Latin modestia, from modestus moderate, modest + -ia -y
1.
a. archaic : freedom from excess or exaggeration : moderation
an excellent play … set down with as much modesty as cunning — Shakespeare
b. : freedom from conceit or vanity : an awareness of one's limitations
has great natural modesty , with a stronger dependence on my judgment than on his own — Jane Austen
modesty … is essential to anyone who deals successfully with nature, since the ego must be capable of awe — L.J.Halle
c. : freedom from coarseness, indelicacy, or indecency : a regard for propriety in dress, speech, or conduct
while retaining all her modesty , had lost all her shyness — Arnold Bennett
that affectation of extreme shyness, silence, and reserve, which misses in their teens are apt to take for an amiable modesty — Sir Walter Scott
2. : a plain or decorative fill-in for a low neckline especially of a dress
3. : limitation in size, amount, or extent
operates on a budget appropriate to the modesty of its quarters — Report: (Canadian) Royal Commission on National Development
4.
a. : hare's-ear 1
b. : flower-of-an-hour