marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; "a modest apartment"; "too modest to wear his medals"
modest
How to use modest in a sentence. Example sentences and definitions for modest.
Editorial note
For one he seemed a genuinely nice and modest human being.
Quick take
marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; "a modest apartment"; "too modest to wear his medals"
Meaning at a glance
The clearest senses and uses of modest gathered in one view.
not large but sufficient in size or amount; "a modest salary"; "modest inflation"; "helped in my own small way"
free from pomp or affectation; "comfortable but modest cottages"; "a simple rectangular brick building"; "a simple man with simple tastes"
Definitions
Core meanings and parts of speech for modest.
adjective
marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; "a modest apartment"; "too modest to wear his medals"
adjective
not large but sufficient in size or amount; "a modest salary"; "modest inflation"; "helped in my own small way"
See also: small
adjective
free from pomp or affectation; "comfortable but modest cottages"; "a simple rectangular brick building"; "a simple man with simple tastes"
adjective
not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance
adjective
low or inferior in station or quality; "a humble cottage"; "a lowly parish priest"; "a modest man of the people"; "small beginnings"
adjective
humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness; "meek and self-effacing"
adjective
limited in size or scope; "a small business"; "a newspaper with a modest circulation"; "small-scale plans"; "a pocket-size country"
See also: minor, small, small-scale, pocket-size, pocket-sized
Example sentences
For one he seemed a genuinely nice and modest human being.
Tinkering with new ideas on some modest amount of savings and "odd jobs" or consulting is no longer possible.
Yet no other man was more modest in the possession of the power that is knowledge, more sure that power without wisdom is deadly.
The modest amount paid is well worth it just to be alerted to the main issues and pitfalls involved in setting up an entity.
And that's quite apart from the possibility that time travelers would make some modest effort to avoid asking their neighbors about future events.
Anyone sharing creative work is making a contribution, however modest.> Ask questions out of curiosity.
You should be designing your studio to accommodate modest returns, while accounting for inevitable flops.
I'd prefer not to get into all the details or name names, but I had published some papers in a specialized hot domain that was highly mathematical, and owned some modest but important IP.
Within a short time, the executive management of our client used that write-up to meet face-to-face with their counterpart executives on the other side and the case quickly settled for a very modest money payment.
People would tell me what a great job I did and praise the amount of time it must have taken, and while I'd smile nervously and modestly reject their attribution, I'd often be left silently thinking, "I don't think this was as difficult or took as long as you think it did.
His theme is a clarion call to shape your life, and the way you make a living, around things you love to do and to avoid dying a slow death by simply doing a job that makes money - the point being that it makes no sense to pursue modest comforts at the cost of spending your life doing soul-deadening things you don't like doing just because they earn you a livelihood.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers drawn from the clearest meanings and examples for this word.
How do you use modest in a sentence?
For one he seemed a genuinely nice and modest human being.
What does modest mean?
marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself; "a modest apartment"; "too modest to wear his medals"
What part of speech is modest?
modest is commonly used as adjective.