modestly

modestly — adverb

1. to a small or moderate extent; not by a large amount, nor at a high price — for

1.adverbB2
Definition

to a small or moderate extent; not by a large amount, nor at a high price — for example, sales that grow only a little, or a hotel room that costs a reasonable amount.

Example

The restaurant was modestly priced, so the Watanabe family could eat there every week.

modestly + past participle (priced) for affordable cost

Hiro's grades improved modestly after he started studying with a tutor.

modestly + verb of change (improved)

Common collocations
  • modestly priced
  • modestly furnished
  • modestly improved
  • grew modestly
  • live modestly
  • modestly successful
Synonyms
  • reasonably

    focuses on fair price rather than small size or degree

  • slightly

    suggests a smaller degree than modestly; often negative in tone

  • humbly

    shared spelling with sense 2 but in this context means 'simply'

Antonyms
  • greatly

    implies a large extent or degree

  • extravagantly

    suggests high spending rather than moderate cost

Grammar Patterns

modestly + verb (grew/improved)

modestly + past participle (priced/furnished)

Usage Note

Commonly collocates with past participles describing cost or size (priced, furnished, decorated) and verbs of change (increase, grow, improve).

Common Mistakes

The restaurant was modestly price.
The restaurant was modestly priced.
use the past participle, not the base form, after 'be + modestly'.

2. showing a lack of vanity about your talents or accomplishments — for example, re

2.adverbB2
Definition

showing a lack of vanity about your talents or accomplishments — for example, replying to a compliment by saying you simply did what anyone else would have done.

Example

When asked about her award, Anong replied modestly that she had only done her job.

verb of speaking + modestly (replied modestly)

Liam spoke modestly about his role in the rescue, giving credit to his teammates.

Common collocations
  • replied modestly
  • spoke modestly
  • modestly declined
  • described modestly
  • modestly said
Synonyms
  • humbly

    very close in meaning; humbly can include a sense of low social rank

  • unassumingly

    more formal; suggests not drawing attention to oneself at all

  • self-effacingly

    suggests almost avoiding attention entirely, sometimes with humour

Antonyms
  • boastfully

    talking with excessive pride about oneself

  • proudly

    can be neutral but contrasts sharply with modesty in this sense

Grammar Patterns

verb of speaking + modestly (said/replied/spoke)

modestly + verb of declining/describing

Usage Note

Often pairs with verbs of communication (say, reply, speak, describe, mention). The opposite behaviour is 'boastfully' or 'proudly'.

Common Mistakes

He modestly said he is the best player.
He modestly said he still had a lot to learn.
someone who speaks modestly plays down their own ability, not praises it.

3. covering most of the body and avoiding styles meant to draw romantic notice — li

3.adverbB2
Definition

covering most of the body and avoiding styles meant to draw romantic notice — like clothes with long sleeves and skirts below the knee.

Example

Saira always dresses modestly, wearing long skirts and tops with sleeves.

verb + modestly (dresses modestly) for clothing habits

The school requires all students to dress modestly during sports events and ceremonies.

Common collocations
  • dress modestly
  • behave modestly
  • modestly cut
  • modestly dressed
  • modestly clothed
Synonyms
  • conservatively

    emphasises traditional or conventional standards of dress

  • decently

    focuses on covering enough to meet social standards of propriety

  • demurely

    suggests a quiet, shy manner in addition to modest dress

Antonyms
  • provocatively

    dressing or behaving in a way intended to attract sexual attention

  • revealingly

    wearing clothing that shows a lot of the body

Grammar Patterns

verb + modestly (dress/behave)

modestly + past participle (cut/chosen)

Usage Note

Particularly common in discussions of dress codes, religious customs, and conservative social norms. The focus is on outward appearance and conduct rather than inner attitude.

Common Mistakes

She dressed modestly to the party.
She dressed modestly for the party.
use 'for' to indicate the occasion; 'to the party' is a direction, not a purpose.

Word family

  • modest
    adjectiveB1
  • modesty
    nounB2
  • immodest
    adjectiveC1
  • immodestly
    adverbC1
  • immodesty
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/2

All four words describe a lack of self-importance, but their contexts differ. Humbl(y) can imply low social rank or genuine inner modesty — it is the closest synonym to sense 2. Unassumingly suggests that a person does not try to appear important or impressive, often used for people with real achievements who stay quiet about them. Self-effacingly adds a touch of active avoidance — such a person might deflect praise with a joke or change the subject. Demurely overlaps more with sense 3: it describes a quiet, shy manner in both speech and appearance. For example: 'He humbly accepted the award' (genuine modesty), but 'She self-effacingly waved away the compliment' (active deflection), whereas 'She sat demurely in the corner' is about quietness and dress, not about avoiding praise.

humblyunassuminglyself-effacinglydemurely

Common collocations

Adverbs

  • quite modestly
  • very modestly
  • rather modestly
  • only modestly

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Comes from Latin 'modestus' meaning 'keeping within measure, moderate, restrained', which is related to 'modus' (measure, way). The word entered English through French 'modeste' and took on the senses of both limited degree and not boastful by the 16th century.