modest

English

Etymology

From Middle French modeste, from Latin modestus

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmɑdəst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

modest (3) Venus statue.

modest (comparative modester or more modest, superlative modestest or most modest)

1. Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements, unpretentious, humble.
2. Small, moderate in size.

   He earns a modest amount of money.

   Her latest novel was a modest success.

3. (especially of behaviour or clothing) Avoiding being sexually suggestive.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:humble
• See also Wikisaurus:intermediate
• See also Wikisaurus:small

Antonyms

• immodest

Derived terms

• modest proposal
• modesty

Translations

not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements

• Arabic: مُتْوَاضِع‎ (mutwāḍiʿ)
• Armenian: համեստ (hy) (hamest), պարկեշտ (hy) (parkešt)
• Catalan: modest (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 謙虛 (zh), 谦虚 (zh) (qiānxū), 謙讓 (zh), 谦让 (zh) (qiānràng)

• Czech: skromný (cs) m
• Danish: beskeden
• Dutch: bescheiden (nl), ingetogen (nl)
• Finnish: vaatimaton (fi), nöyrä (fi)
• French: modeste (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: bescheiden (de)
• Greek: ταπεινός (el) (tapeinós), μετριόφρων (el) (metriófron), σεμνός (el) (semnós)
• Irish: náireach, náiriúil, adhnáireach
• Italian: modesto (it)

• Japanese: (+ な -na) 謙虚 (けんきょ, kenkyo), 謙遜した (けんそんした, kenson-shita)
• Korean: 겸손한 (gyeomsonhan)
• Latvian: pieticīgs
• Maori: whakamōwai, pōrearea
• Polish: skromny (pl)
• Portuguese: modesto (pt)
• Romanian: modest (ro)
• Russian: скро́мный (ru) (skrómnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian: skrȍman (sh)
• Slovene: skromen (sl)
• Spanish: modesto, humilde (es)
• Swedish: blygsam (sv), blygsam (sv)
• Thai: ถ่อมตัว (thòm tua)
• Turkish: kalender (tr), alçak gönüllü (tr), mütevazı (tr)
• Vietnamese: khiêm tốn (vi)

Small

• Armenian: համեստ (hy) (hamest)
• Catalan: modest (ca)
• Chinese:

  Simplified: 些许的 (xiēxǔ de); 不太大的 (bú tàidài de)

• Danish: beskeden, moderat
• French: modeste (fr)
• German: bescheiden (de), klein (de), gering (de), moderat (de)
• Greek: ταπεινός (el) (tapeinós)

• Italian: modesto (it) m, irrisorio (it) m, esiguo (it) m
• Polish: skromny (pl) m, niewielki (pl)
• Portuguese: modesto (pt)
• Russian: скро́мный (ru) (skrómnyj)
• Spanish: pequeño (es), modesto, moderado (es)
• Swedish: liten (sv)
• Turkish: naçiz (tr), naçizane (tr), mütevazı (tr)

Avoiding being sexually suggestive.

• Arabic: حَيِيّ‎ (ḥayiyy), خَجُول‎ (ḵajūl)
• Armenian: համեստ (hy) (hamest)
• Catalan: modest (ca)
• Chinese:

  Simplified: 朴素的 (pǔsù de); 庄重的 (zhuāngzhòng de); 不性感的 (bú xìnggǎn de)

• Danish: blufærdig, anstændig, sømmelig, ærbar
• German: anständig (de), sittsam (de)
• Greek: σεμνός (el) (semnós)
• Russian: благопристо́йный (ru) (blagopristójnyj), скро́мный (ru) (skrómnyj)
• Spanish: decente (es), pudoroso (es), púdico

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Albanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔdɛst/

Adjective

modest m (feminine modeste)

1. modest

Derived terms

• modesti