modest

English

Etymology

From Middle French modeste, from Latin modestus

Pronunciation

• 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. (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)
• Hungarian: szerény (hu)
• 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