modestly

Thân thiện

She modestly accepted the compliment with a slight smile.

Definition

Adverb: 1. In a modest manner; without excess, pretension, or boastfulness: Behaving or speaking in a way that is unassuming, humble, and does not draw excessive attention to oneself or one's achievements. 2. To a moderate degree; not excessively: In a limited or reasonable amount.

Usage and Examples

• Describing humble behavior or presentation:

  • She accepted the award modestly, thanking her team rather than taking all the credit.
  • He lives modestly despite his wealth, preferring a simple house and an old car.

• Describing something done to a moderate degree or scale:

  • The restaurant is modestly priced, making it popular with students.
  • The plan was modestly successful, meeting its basic goals but not exceeding them.

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Used to understate or downplay one's own role, achievement, or possession, often for rhetorical effect or politeness.
  • The book was titled, modestly, A Few Thoughts on Economics'.li> <li>I know a little about gardening,' she said modestly, though she was an expert.

Variants and Related Words

• Modest (adjective): Unassuming in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements; not excessive in size, amount, or pretension.
  • a modest income, a modest proposal
• Modesty (noun): The quality or state of being modest.
  • Her modesty prevented her from boasting about her victory.

Synonyms

• Humbly: In a manner showing a low estimate of one's own importance.
• Unassumingly: In a modest or unpretentious way.
• Simply: In a plain and straightforward manner.

Antonyms

• Immodestly: In a boastful or pretentious manner.
• Arrogantly: In an overly proud and self-important way.
• Extravagantly: In a manner exceeding what is reasonable or appropriate; excessively.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• To put it modestly: A phrase used to introduce a statement that is a deliberate understatement.
  • The project was, to put it modestly, a complete disaster. (Meaning it was a huge disaster.)

Học thuật

Adverb

1. with modesty; in a modest manner
   • the dissertation was entitled, modestly, `Remarks about a play by Shakespeare'