Mawson, C.O.S., ed. (18701938). Rogets International Thesaurus. 1922.
Class VI. Words Relating to the Sentient and Moral Powers Section II. Personal Affections 5. Extrinsic Affections
881. Modesty.
NOUN: MODESTY; humility [See Humility ]; diffidence, timidity; retiring disposition; unobtrusiveness; bashfulness &c. adj.; mauvaise honte [F. ]; blush, blushing; verecundity [obs. ]; self-knowledge.
reserve, constraint; demureness &c. adj.; blushing honors [Henry VIII ].
[COMPARISON ] violet.
VERB: BE MODEST &c. adj.; retire, reserve oneself; give way to; draw in ones horns [See Humility ]; hide ones face.
keep private, keep in the background, keep ones distance; pursue the noiseless tenor of ones way, do good by stealth and blush to find it fame [Pope], hide ones light under a bushel; cast sheeps eyes.
ADJECTIVE: MODEST, diffident; humble [See Humility ]; timid, timorous, bashful; shy, nervous, skittish, coy, sheepish, shamefaced, blushing, overmodest.
unpretending, unpretentious; unobtrusive, unassuming, unostentatious, unboastful, unaspiring; poor in spirit; deprecative, deprecatory.
reserved, constrained, demure.
ABASHED, ashamed; out of countenance (humbled ) [See Humility ].
ADVERB: MODESTLY &c. adj.; quietly, privately; without -ceremony, - beat of drum; sans façon [F. ].
QUOTATIONS: Not stepping oer the bounds of modesty.Romeo and Juliet
Thy modestys a candle to thy merit.Fielding