Hypertext Webster Gateway: "modest"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Modest \Mod"est\, a. [F. modeste, L. modestus, fr. modus
measure. See {Mode}.]
1. Restraining within due limits of propriety; not forward,
bold, boastful, or presumptious; rather retiring than
pushing one's self forward; not obstructive; as, a modest
youth; a modest man.
2. Observing the proprieties of the sex; not unwomanly in act
or bearing; free from undue familiarity, indecency, or
lewdness; decent in speech and demeanor; -- said of a
woman.
Mrs. Ford, the honest woman, the modest wife.
--Shak.
The blushing beauties of a modest maid. --Dryden.
3. Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not
showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate;
as, a modest request; modest joy.
Syn: Reserved; unobtrusive; diffident; bashful; coy; shy;
decent; becoming; chaste; virtuous.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
modest
adj 1: marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself;
"a modest apartment"; "too modest to wear his medals"
[ant: {immodest}]
2: not large but sufficient in size or amount; "a modest
salary"; "modest inflation"; "helped in my own small way"
[syn: {small}]
3: free from pomp or affectation; "comfortable but modest
cottages"; "a simple rectangular brick building"; "a
simple man with simple tastes"
4: not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance [ant:
{immodest}]
5: low or inferior in station or quality; "a humble cottage";
"a lowly parish priest"; "a modest man of the people";
"small beginnings" [syn: {humble}, {low}, {lowly}, {small}]
6: humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or
even cowed submissiveness; "meek and self-effacing" [syn:
{meek}, {mild}]
7: limited in size or scope; "a small business"; "a newspaper
with a modest circulation"; "small-scale plans"; "a
pocket-size country" [syn: {minor}, {small}, {small-scale},
{pocket-size}, {pocket-sized}]
8: free from ostentation or pretension; "the restrained
elegance of the room" [syn: {restrained}, {unostentatious}]
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