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Definition of modesty noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

modesty

noun
 
/ˈmɒdəsti/
 
/ˈmɑːdəsti/
[uncountable]
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  1. the fact of not talking much about your abilities or possessions
    • He accepted the award with characteristic modesty.
    • I hate false (= pretended) modesty.
    Extra Examples
    • Modesty forbade me from mentioning that my novel had been published.
    • She accepted their congratulations with becoming modesty.
    • his modesty about his achievements
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • characteristic
    • natural
    • typical
    verb + modesty
    • display
    • show
    • preserve
    modesty + verb
    • forbid somebody
    preposition
    • with modesty
    • modesty  about
    See full entry
  2. the action of behaving or dressing so that you do not show your body or attract sexual attention
    • I wore a towel to preserve my modesty.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • characteristic
    • natural
    • typical
    verb + modesty
    • display
    • show
    • preserve
    modesty + verb
    • forbid somebody
    preposition
    • with modesty
    • modesty  about
    See full entry
  3. the state of being not very large, expensive, important, etc.
    • They tried to disguise the modesty of their achievements.
See modesty in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee modesty in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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