1
as in humbly
in a manner showing no signs of pride or self-assertion
spoke modestly about his accomplishments as an entrepreneur
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in innocently
with purity of thought and deed
dressed modestly to go to church
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of modestly
Mellencamp grew up modestly but comfortably in the idyllic town of Seymour, Indiana, the son of a mother who was an artist and nascent beauty queen, and a father who worked a white-collar job with a local electrical contracting firm.
—
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
In a pilot trial involving 16 women with preterm preeclampsia, researchers found that filtering out a protein called sFlt-1 from the pregnant women’s blood was both safe and could modestly reduce their blood pressure.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 27 Apr. 2026
Broadcom fell modestly Monday from Friday's record close.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
Dressing modestly is out of respect for the significance of these sites.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
In 2022, Phillips went modestly viral on social media with a poem, nearly every line of which contained the phrase Let them.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
But don’t overlook that California’s construction efforts have modestly mitigated the pain in the wallet.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
On this modestly sized stage, head chefs Avinandan Kundu and Koyel Roy Nandy display their skills and tell stories of Bengal through a 13-course tasting menu with cocktails that pair perfectly.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Since heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States—and dementia significantly impacts both quality and length of life —anything that meaningfully reduces risk, even modestly, matters in the longevity conversation.
—Michele Ross, SELF, 22 Apr. 2026
Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
In a pilot trial involving 16 women with preterm preeclampsia, researchers found that filtering out a protein called sFlt-1 from the pregnant women’s blood was both safe and could modestly reduce their blood pressure.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 27 Apr. 2026
Broadcom fell modestly Monday from Friday's record close.
—Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Apr. 2026
Dressing modestly is out of respect for the significance of these sites.
—Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026
In 2022, Phillips went modestly viral on social media with a poem, nearly every line of which contained the phrase Let them.
—Boris Kachka, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026
But don’t overlook that California’s construction efforts have modestly mitigated the pain in the wallet.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 24 Apr. 2026
On this modestly sized stage, head chefs Avinandan Kundu and Koyel Roy Nandy display their skills and tell stories of Bengal through a 13-course tasting menu with cocktails that pair perfectly.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Since heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States—and dementia significantly impacts both quality and length of life —anything that meaningfully reduces risk, even modestly, matters in the longevity conversation.
—Michele Ross, SELF, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for modestly
Adverb
-
Our journey began humbly in 1983 with high-stakes bingo.—
Cody J Martinez,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Mar. 2026
-
The archbishop knocks on the door with a pastoral staff and humbly requests admission to the cathedral.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Her pictures, which start innocently enough from the puppy-dog idea, get increasingly demeaning.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
20 Apr. 2026
-
After innocently coming up in the scene by posting songs on Soundcloud, Slayyyter finally signed to a major label last year.—
Selena Fragassi,
SPIN,
1 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
My question is how to politely tell this man to stop.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Washington Post,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Over the course of the afternoon, guests laughed about, grappled with, and sometimes politely skirted around the same gendered tropes that have existed for centuries, the conversation turning serious in some moments and silly in others.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
22 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Lateef sheepishly raked his hand through his hair.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Kayumi then appeared to sheepishly shrink in his chair.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
9 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Armed federal agents broke down the door while executing a warrant for someone else, and rounded up the people inside without properly determining whether Juan was a flight risk or a danger to the community, said Lear, his immigration attorney.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Ahead, garden experts discuss the reasons why soap can effectively deter deer and offer guidance on how to use it properly.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Scorsese shoots them beautifully and deferentially.—
Matt Weinstock,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Princess Bride is superbly planned and deferentially orchestrated — its theme fits its telling.—
Duane Byrge,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
Adverb
-
This is fundamentally an engineering approach rather than a purely scientific one, since a great deal of foundational research already existed.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
-
So, purely by reasoning it out, one of those three would seem to be a good candidate to get rid of.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Whether a man chose to use that pistol or meekly give up the money to a robber was up to him.—
Richard Selcer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Apr. 2026
-
That was checkmate, as Martinez grounded out meekly to end the season.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Modestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modestly. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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