MODESTLY Synonyms: 83 Similar and Opposite Words

modestly

adverb

Definition of modestly

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in innocently

with purity of thought and deed dressed modestly to go to church

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of modestly Intel shares are modestly higher, making back some of Tuesday's more than 3% decline. — Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026 Instead, researchers found homelessness decreased modestly in 2026, and although assaults and robberies have been elevated compared with the early 2010s, more than 70% of the incidents occur in 5% of the city’s area. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026 Other takes on the genre were more modestly priced, though still a hike from the build-it-yourself versions about which some commenters reminisced from their days in Scouts (and just tinkering in their own garages). — New Atlas, 25 Sep. 2026 Key Takeaways Aged garlic supplements may modestly lower blood pressure, especially in people with hypertension. — Sukhman Rekhi, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2026 OpenAI earlier this month released GPT-6 Astra, which has sometimes been modestly beating Opus 5 in benchmarks and user sentiment. — Samuel Axon, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026 Outside, a sparkling, if modestly sized, pool with plush lounge chairs sat back from the dunes, overlooking the ocean. — Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 22 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for modestly

Adverb

And, as j-hope so humbly mentioned, the awards are just another milestone to add to what has already been a massive year for the group.

— Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 29 Sep. 2026
Oeffling humbly downplays the appeal of his music, which has a familiar, early 2000s aesthetic that sounds indebted to the spirit of Yo La Tengo and Broken Social Scene, as well as contemporaries like Alex G.

— Britt Julious, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of humbly

Adverb

His ideas align with Hinton’s, and by 2013 the two of them—along with a third partner, Fedor Fedotov’s Alex Krizhevsky—find themselves at Google, innocently pursuing their research.

— Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
The scoring started innocently enough, Stockton marching the team 79 yards on an 11-play workmanlike touchdown drive.

— Mike Griffith, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of innocently

Adverb

The solution is a lot of morphine and a lot of rest, both of which Cathy undertakes with Adam constantly (and chastely) by her side.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Take The Music Lesson, a study of a young woman playing the virginal, closely watched by a gentleman, which Graham-Dixon reads as a depiction of Collegiants chastely performing and singing psalms.

— Clare Bucknell, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026

Definition of chastely

Adverb

Whether the military was properly prepared for treating its wounded in the current Iran war has become a sharp point of contention.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
If a regular electric toothbrush already does the job when used properly, how much is a toothbrush camera actually adding?

— Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of properly

Adverb

Recent studies have proposed that these fluctuations are not purely random but occur within what is known as a chaotic attractor — a set of possible storm states within which the hurricane can evolve unpredictably.

— Chanh Kieu, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
The only downside is that he’s seen as a purely comic figure by some in the industry.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of purely

Browse Nearby Words

modest

modestly

modesty

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Modestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/modestly. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of modestly

adverb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inscrutable

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes