modesty
gb/mˈɑdɪsti/ us/mˈɑdɪsti/
B2
Inglês
~ 5500
Aceções
0 aceções
Nome
B2
property
1
lack of pride or boasting
The quality of being quiet about your good points and not talking about them too much.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] shows modesty about [something]
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse 'modesty' (noun) with 'modest' (adjective). For example, they say *'He is a modesty person'* instead of 'He is a modest person' or 'He has modesty.' Also, learners sometimes use 'shy' when they mean 'modest'; 'shy' means afraid of speaking to people, while 'modest' means not boasting.
Sinónimos
humility (Stresses a low view of one's own importance; often slightly more formal than 'modesty'.)
|
self-effacement (Emphasizes actively keeping attention away from oneself, especially in public.)
Antónimos
arrogance (Suggests an exaggerated sense of one's own importance, the opposite of modest self-view.)
|
boastfulness (Focuses on loudly talking about one's achievements instead of downplaying them.)
Colocações
show modesty
|false modesty
|his usual modesty
|out of modesty
|a display of modesty
|with becoming modesty
Temas
personality
|emotions
|social
|values
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- Despite his success, he speaks about his work with great modesty.
- Her modesty makes people trust her more than the louder members of the team.
- Out of modesty, he left out several of his biggest achievements on his résumé.
- The award winner accepted the prize with characteristic modesty, thanking the whole team instead of taking credit himself.
- Journalists praised the scientist's modesty as much as they praised her discovery.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- He talks about his success with modesty.
- Her modesty makes her easy to like.
- Out of modesty, she does not speak about her prizes.
- The singer shows modesty when he talks to fans.
- People respect his modesty and hard work.
Nome
C1
property
2
avoidance of bodily or sexual display
The quality of acting or dressing so that your body is not too open or sexual in public.
Padrão de uso:
[someone] protects [someone]'s modesty
Erro comum:
Learners sometimes confuse this sense with simple 'shyness'. Modesty here is about covering the body or avoiding sexual attention, not about being quiet or afraid to speak. Also, some learners use 'modesty clothes'; the natural phrase is 'modest clothing' or 'clothing for modesty'.
Sinónimos
decency (Stresses following social rules of proper behavior, especially in public or sexual matters.)
|
chastity (Focuses more on not having sexual activity; often used in religious or moral contexts.)
Antónimos
immodesty (Direct opposite; suggests behavior or dress that ignores social limits on exposure or sexual display.)
|
provocativeness (Emphasizes behavior or clothing that is meant to attract sexual attention.)
Colocações
protect her modesty
|a sense of modesty
|modesty laws
|public modesty
|for the sake of modesty
|modesty panel
Temas
social
|culture
|religion
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- The swimsuit was designed with extra coverage for reasons of modesty.
- They drew the curtain to protect the patient's modesty during the examination.
- In some cultures, modesty requires both men and women to cover their shoulders and knees.
- The new public modesty laws set strict rules about what people may wear on the beach.
- She felt her sense of modesty was ignored when the photographer asked her to pose in very revealing clothes.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The dress shows very little skin, so it keeps her modesty.
- They put a sheet over him to protect his modesty in the hospital.
- In his religion, modesty in clothing is very important.
- She wears long skirts for modesty.
- The curtain gives privacy and modesty to people changing clothes.
Nome
formal
C1
property
3
limited or moderate size or amount
The fact that something is not very big, not very expensive, or not very extreme.
Padrão de uso:
the modesty of [something]
Erro comum:
Learners may overuse 'small' instead of this more formal noun use of 'modesty', for example writing 'the smallness of the budget' where 'the modesty of the budget' sounds more natural in formal writing. Also, this sense is sometimes confused with personal modesty; here it describes things (prices, budgets, goals), not people.
Sinónimos
moderation (Highlights the idea that something is not extreme or excessive.)
|
smallness (More concrete; focuses purely on low size or amount, without the positive tone 'modesty' can have.)
Antónimos
excess (Suggests too much of something, the opposite of a modest or limited amount.)
|
magnitude (Emphasizes large scale or great size, contrasting with modest scale.)
Colocações
the modesty of his income
|the modesty of the proposal
|relative modesty
|remarkable modesty in size
|the modesty of their ambitions
|in spite of the modesty of
Temas
descriptions
|business
|academia
|core_vocabulary
Exemplos
- He was surprised by the modesty of the fee, given the quality of the service.
- The project was completed despite the modesty of the available resources.
- Investors were reassured by the modesty of the company's growth targets.
- Critics praised the film for the modesty of its budget and the strength of its storytelling.
- The modesty of their demands made negotiation much easier.
Exemplos para aprendentes
- The modesty of the price surprised us.
- We finished the work despite the modesty of our budget.
- The modesty of his goals made them easy to reach.
- She was happy with the modesty of the rent.
- The modesty of the plan kept costs low.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
modesty
IPA
GB/mˈɑdɪsti/
US/mˈɑdɪsti/
Sílabas e acento
mod - esty (2 sílabas)
Stress on 1st syllable (mod)
Formas da palavra
Noun
- Base: modesty
- Plural: modesty
Família de palavras
Core family
modest
adjective B1
modestly
adverb
Negative and opposite forms
immodest
adjective
immodesty
noun
immodestly
adverb
Expressões
a model of modesty
1/ə mˈɑdəl əv mˈɑdɪsti/
fixed phrase
an extremely modest person
A person who is very, very modest and does not like to talk about their own good points.
Exemplos
- Despite his fame, he remains a model of modesty.
- Everyone praised her achievements, but she stayed a model of modesty throughout the ceremony.
- He is a model of modesty, always giving credit to others first.
false modesty
1/fˈɔls mˈɑdɪsti/
fixed phrase
pretended or insincere modesty
When someone acts modest and says they are not very good, but they are actually proud of themselves or want praise.
Exemplos
- There was no false modesty in her speech; she openly acknowledged her hard work and talent.
- Stop the false modesty and just admit you're the best person for the job.
- His comments about being 'only average' were pure false modesty.
for the sake of modesty
1/fɚ ðə sˈeɪk əv mˈɑdɪsti/
fixed phrase
to keep behavior or dress modest
Because you want to stay modest or to follow rules about not showing too much of the body.
Exemplos
- They wore loose shirts and long shorts for the sake of modesty.
- The statue was slightly altered for the sake of modesty before being displayed in the school.
- For the sake of modesty, he changed into more formal clothes before the ceremony.
in all modesty
1/ˈɪn ˈɔl mˈɑdɪsti/
fixed phrase
saying something good without boasting
Used before you say something good about yourself, to show that you are trying not to sound like you are boasting.
Exemplos
- In all modesty, I think my book explains the topic more clearly than most others.
- She could say, in all modesty, that the project would not have succeeded without her.
- In all modesty, this is the best performance I have ever given.
modesty aside
1/mˈɑdɪsti əsˈaɪd/
fixed phrase
informal
ignoring modesty to praise oneself
Used before you say something very positive about yourself, to show you know it is not modest.
Exemplos
- Modesty aside, that was probably the best presentation I’ve ever given.
- Modesty aside, I think I handled the crisis extremely well.
- And, modesty aside, our team is clearly the strongest in the league.
modesty forbids
1/mˈɑdɪsti fɚbˈɪdz/
idiom
formal
refusing to say something boastful
Used in a joking or formal way to say you will not answer a question or give details, because it would sound like you are boasting or be improper.
Exemplos
- How much did they pay you? 'I’m afraid modesty forbids me from saying.'
- Modesty forbids me from repeating the compliments he gave me.
- Exactly how many medals did you win? 'Modesty forbids,' she replied with a smile.
protect someone's modesty
1/pɹətˈɛkt sˈʌmwˌʌnz mˈɑdɪsti/
fixed phrase
keep someone's body from being seen
To cover someone or give them privacy so that other people cannot see their body in a way that would make them feel shy or embarrassed.
Exemplos
- A blanket was quickly brought to protect her modesty after the accident.
- The nurse closed the curtain to protect the patient’s modesty during the examination.
- They handed him a towel to protect his modesty while he changed clothes.