Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
A ~ house or other building is not large or expensive.
...the ~ home of a family who lived off the land...
A one-night stay in a ~ hotel costs around ?35.
ADJ
2.
You use ~ to describe something such as an amount, rate, or improvement which is fairly small.
Swiss unemployment rose to the still ~ rate of 0.7%...
The democratic reforms have been ~...
ADJ
~ly
Britain’s balance of payments improved ~ly last month.
ADV: ADV after v, ADV adj/-ed/adv
3.
If you say that someone is ~, you approve of them because they do not talk much about their abilities or achievements.
He’s ~, as well as being a great player...
ADJ approval
~ly
‘You really must be very good at what you do.’—‘I suppose I am,’ Kate said ~ly.
ADV: ADV with v
4.
You can describe a woman as ~ when she avoids doing or wearing anything that might cause men to have sexual feelings towards her. You can also describe her clothes or behaviour as ~.
Asian women are more ~ and shy, yet they tend to have an inner force...
ADJ
~ly
She sat down cautiously on the red canvas cushions, knees ~ly together.
ADV: ADV with v, ADV adj/adv