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MODESTY
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I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Formality and propriety of manner
Synonyms:
modesty; reserve
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("modesty" is a kind of...):
correctitude; properness; propriety (correct or appropriate behavior)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "modesty"):
demureness (the trait of behaving with reserve and decorum)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Freedom from vanity or conceit
Synonyms:
modestness; modesty
Classified under:
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects
Hypernyms ("modesty" is a kind of...):
decency (the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality)
Attribute:
modest (not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance)
immodest (offending against sexual mores in conduct or appearance)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "modesty"):
Grundyism; primness; prudery; prudishness (excessive or affected modesty)
Antonym:
immodesty (the trait of being vain and conceited)
Context examples:
One was struck at once by his straightforwardness and manliness, which, in turn, were tempered by a modesty which might be mistaken for timidity.
(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)
"Well, sir," he said, with a suspicious sort of modesty, "I think I can; but I don't know as 'ow you'd be satisfied with the theory."
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
He was, at that time, a remarkably fine young man, with a great deal of intelligence, spirit, and brilliancy; and Anne an extremely pretty girl, with gentleness, modesty, taste, and feeling.
(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)
He appeared, and confirmed the whole account: but with much more advantage to the captain, whose modesty had extenuated or concealed a great part of his merit.
(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)
There is not much danger that real talent or goodness will be overlooked long, even if it is, the consciousness of possessing and using it well should satisfy one, and the great charm of all power is modesty.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
He soon perceived that I disliked the subject; but not guessing the real cause, he attributed my feelings to modesty, and changed the subject from my improvement, to the science itself, with a desire, as I evidently saw, of drawing me out.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
He faced us as we assembled for breakfast with a deprecating false modesty in his eyes, as who should say, I know that I deserve all that you can say, but I pray you to spare my blushes by not saying it.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
For this reason, I retained my modesty in very self-respect; and the more praise I got, the more I tried to deserve.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
But Bingley has great natural modesty, with a stronger dependence on my judgement than on his own.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
Modesty, and all that, is very well in its way, but really a little common honesty is sometimes quite as becoming.
(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)
