INDEX:
1. a modest person
2. to be too modest
3. modest behaviour
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ PROUD
↑ BOAST
↑ SHOW OFF
see also
↑ SHY
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1. a modest person
▷ modest /ˈmɒdɪst, ˈmɒdəstǁˈmɑː-/ [adjective]
unwilling to talk about your abilities or achievements and to say that you are good at something, even when you are :
▪ Luke was too modest to talk about his past achievements.
▪ She was a shy, modest person, never one to push herself forward.
modestly [adverb]
▪ ‘I couldn’t have done it without your help,’ Alec replied modestly.
▷ self-effacing /ˌself ɪˈfeɪsɪŋ/ [adjective] formal
not wanting to talk about yourself or to attract attention :
▪ Her husband was a quiet, self-effacing man who spent much of his time in his study.
▪ In those days women were expected to be quiet, passive and self-effacing.
▷ unassuming /ˌʌnəˈsjuːmɪŋ◂, -ˈsuː-ǁ-ˈsuː-/ [adjective]
not wanting to be noticed and not expecting to be treated in a special way, because you do not think you are important :
▪ I often see her in the library. She’s such a nice, unassuming person.
▪ By now Chapman was famous, but on a social level he remained as unassuming as ever.
▷ humble /ˈhʌmb ə l/ [adjective]
thinking that you are unimportant and not as good or clever as other people, and therefore not expecting to be treated in a special way :
▪ Their father was a genuinely humble man, who had worked hard for his family all his life.
▪ Stephanie was humble enough to admit that others could probably do the job better than she could.
humbly [adverb]
▪ ‘What do you think I should do?’ Lydia asked humbly.
▷ unpretentious /ˌʌnprɪˈtenʃəs◂/ [adjective]
not trying to seem better than other people, even if you are rich, famous, clever etc :
▪ Umbria is a wonderful region, where life is simple and the people are unpretentious country folk.
▪ Jilly was surprised by how pleasant and unpretentious he was. Not like a big star at all.
2. to be too modest
▷ put/run yourself down /ˌpʊt, ˌrʌn jɔːʳself ˈdaʊn/ [verb phrase]
to tell people that you are less good, skilful etc than you really are :
▪ He puts himself down, but he’s really very gifted.
▪ You know you’re a good teacher. Don’t run yourself down all the time.
▷ sell yourself short /ˌsel jɔːʳself ˈʃɔːʳt/ [verb phrase] informal
to not tell people enough about your skills, ability etc, especially in a situation where other people are deciding whether to offer you a job or choose you for something :
▪ If you sell yourself short at the interview, you’ll never get the job. Let them know how good you are.
▪ You’re brilliant at tennis - don’t sell yourself short.
▷ underestimate yourself /ˌʌndərˈestɪmeɪt jɔːʳself, ˌʌndərˈestəmeɪt jɔːʳself/ [verb phrase]
to believe that you are less clever, good, skilful etc than you really are :
▪ Don’t underestimate yourself -- you can easily win.
▪ I think you underestimate yourself when you say you couldn’t cope with a job like this.
3. modest behaviour
▷ modesty /ˈmɒdɪsti, ˈmɒdəstiǁˈmɑː-/ [uncountable noun]
a modest way of behaving or talking :
▪ His honesty and modesty endeared him to many people who valued his wise advice.
▪ ‘I’m a bank manager,’ she said, then added with typical modesty, ‘of a very small bank.’
false modesty
when somebody only pretends to be modest
▪ Miranda was not one for false modesty. She enjoyed being told that she was beautiful.
▷ humility /hjuːˈmɪlɪti, hjuːˈmɪləti/ [uncountable noun]
when someone is not proud, and does not think that they are more important, clever etc than other people :
▪ As I listened to him speak, I was filled with a sense of humility.
▪ Mother Theresa remained a woman of great humility, despite all the attention and praise her work received.