Dictionary / modest
modest
- adjective
- from Middle French
Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “modest” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
adjective
- Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble.
- Small, moderate in size.
He earns a modest amount of money.
- Pure and delicate from a sense of propriety.
modest thoughts or language
- especiallyIntending to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others.
Cross-check: WordNet senses (7)
- adjectivemarked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
- adjectivenot large but sufficient in size or amount — also: small
- adjectivefree from pomp or affectation
- adjectivenot offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance
- adjectivelow or inferior in station or quality — also: humble, low, lowly, small
- adjectivehumble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness — also: meek, mild
- adjectivelimited in size or scope — also: minor, small, small-scale, pocket-size, pocket-sized
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)modest
- Middle Frenchmodeste
- Latinmodestus
From Middle French modeste, from Latin modestus.
Derivatives — words built from “modest”
Phrases & compounds
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “modest” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “modest” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “modest”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
modest a. [F. modeste, L. modestus, fr. modus measure. See Mode.]
- 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.
- 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.
- Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate; as, a modest request; modest joy.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
adjectiveMeaning: Small, moderate in size.
He earns a modest amount of money.
Her latest novel was a modest success.
adjectiveMeaning: Pure and delicate from a sense of propriety.
modest thoughts or language
... Enough is vs to praise them that praise thee, / And say that but enough those praises bee, Which had'st thou liu'd, had hid their fearefull head / From th'angry checkings of thy modest red ...1611, Joseph Hall, To the Praise of the Dead, and the Anatomy, lines 21-24:
adjectiveMeaning: marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself
a modest apartment
too modest to wear his medals
adjectiveMeaning: not large but sufficient in size or amount
a modest salary
modest inflation
adjectiveMeaning: free from pomp or affectation
comfortable but modest cottages
adjectiveMeaning: low or inferior in station or quality
a modest man of the people
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
modest
/ˈmɑdəst/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
modest
/ˈmɑdəst/ · adjective
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “modest” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“He earns a modest amount of money.”
Circle the meaning used.
“modest thoughts or language”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “modest” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — modest
Which meaning, sentence 1: A. Small, moderate in size.
Which meaning, sentence 2: B. Pure and delicate from a sense of propriety.
Origin: C. Middle French (Middle French modeste)
Journey: English modest ← Middle French modeste ← Latin modestus
Some derivatives: hypermodest, modestly, modestness, overmodest, pseudomodest, supermodest, ultramodest, unmodest
Etymology: From Middle French modeste, from Latin modestus.
Sources: Wiktionary “modest” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/modest#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/modest