modest

English

Etymology

From Middle French modeste, from Latin modestus

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmɑdəst/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

modest (3) Venus statue.

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

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. Pure and delicate from a sense of propriety.

   modest thoughts or language

4. (especially of behaviour or clothing) Intending to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:humble
• See also Thesaurus:intermediate
• See also Thesaurus: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)
• Azerbaijani: təvazökar, təvazölü
• Belarusian: скро́мны (skrómny), сці́плы (scíply)
• Bulgarian: скро́мен (bg) (skrómen)
• Catalan: modest (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 謙虛 (zh), 谦虚 (zh) (qiānxū), 謙讓 (zh), 谦让 (zh) (qiānràng), 謙遜 (zh), 谦逊 (zh) (qiānxùn), 謙恭 (zh), 谦恭 (zh) (qiāngōng)

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

  Ancient: αἰδήμων (aidḗmōn), αἰδοῖος (aidoîos)

• Hungarian: szerény (hu)
• Irish: náireach, náiriúil, adhnáireach
• Italian: modesto (it)

• Japanese: 謙虚な (けんきょな, kenkyo na), 謙遜した (ja) (けんそんした, kenson shita)
• Korean: 겸손하다 (ko) (gyeomsonhada)
• Latin: modestus
• Latvian: pieticīgs
• Macedonian: скромен (skromen)
• Maori: whakamōwai, pōrearea
• Old English: gedrēoh
• Polish: skromny (pl)
• Portuguese: modesto (pt)
• Romanian: modest (ro)
• Russian: скро́мный (ru) (skrómnyj)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: скро̏ман

  Roman: skrȍman (sh)

• Slovak: skromný
• Slovene: skromen (sl)
• Spanish: modesto, humilde (es)
• Swedish: blygsam (sv)
• Thai: ถ่อมตัว (th) (tɔ̀m-dtuua)
• Turkish: kalender (tr), alçak gönüllü (tr), mütevazı (tr)
• Ukrainian: скро́мний (skrómnyj)
• Vietnamese: khiêm tốn (vi)

small

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

  Mandarin: 小的 (xiǎo de), 數量不大的, 数量不大的 (shùliàng bùdà de), 少量的 (shǎoliàng de), 略微的 (lüèwēi de), 樸素的, 朴素的 (pǔsù de)

• Danish: beskeden, moderat
• Dutch: bescheiden (nl)
• Finnish: vaatimaton (fi)
• 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
• Japanese: 適度 (ja) (てきど, tekido)
• Latin: modestus
• Polish: skromny (pl) m, niewielki (pl)
• Portuguese: modesto (pt)
• Russian: скро́мный (ru) (skrómnyj)
• Spanish: pequeño (es), modesto, moderado (es), módico
• Swedish: liten (sv)
• Turkish: naçiz (tr), naçizane (tr), mütevazı (tr)

intending to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others

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

  Mandarin: 端莊的, 端庄的 (duānzhuāng de), 適度的, 适度的 (shìdù de)

• Danish: blufærdig, anstændig, sømmelig, ærbar
• Dutch: kuis (nl), fatsoenlijk (nl), eerbaar (nl), ingetogen (nl), zedig (nl)

• Finnish: siveä (fi)
• German: anständig (de), sittsam (de)
• Greek: σεμνός (el) (semnós)
• Portuguese: recatado (pt) m, decente (pt)
• Russian: благопристо́йный (ru) (blagopristójnyj), скро́мный (ru) (skrómnyj)
• Spanish: decente (es), pudoroso (es), púdico

Anagrams

• domets

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Albanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mɔdɛst/

Adjective

modest m (feminine modeste)

1. modest

Derived terms

• modesti

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Catalan

Etymology

From Latin modestus.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /moˈdəst/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /muˈdɛst/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /moˈdest/

Adjective

modest (feminine modesta, masculine plural modests or modestos, feminine plural modestes)

1. modest

   Antonym: immodest

Derived terms

• modestament

Related terms

• immodest
• modèstia

Further reading

• “modest” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “modest” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “modest” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “modest” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /moˈdest/

Adjective

modest m or n (feminine singular modestă, masculine plural modești, feminine and neuter plural modeste)

1. modest