Meanings
comparative more unassuming · superlative most unassuming
- Modest and having no pretensions or ostentation.
Various bridges were required, including a lofty one at Brantham, but money was saved by providing unassuming structures at the three intermediate stations.
1946 September and October, “Centenary of the Ipswich-Colchester Line”, in Railway Magazine, page 3071 more example
The crews themselves throughout were an interesting study. The drivers, as older men, bore that air of quite unassuming competence, as British drivers have always done and which in any field has come to be regarded as characteristic of men bearing heavy responsibility to which at the same time they are equal.
1949 March and April, F. G. Roe, “I Saw Three Englands–2”, in Railway Magazine, page 84
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*né
- Proto-Indo-European*n̥-
- Proto-Germanic*un-
- Proto-West Germanic*un-
- Old Englishun-
- Middle Englishun-
- Englishun-
- Englishassuming
- Englishunassuming
Translations
Bulgarian скромен, непретенциозен
- скромен (skromen)modest with no pretensions or ostentation
- непретенциозен (nepretenciozen)modest with no pretensions or ostentation
Dutch bescheiden, pretentieloos
- bescheidenmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- pretentieloosmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Esperanto neafektema
- neafektemamodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Finnish vaatimaton
- vaatimatonmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
French sans prétention
- sans prétentionmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
German bescheiden, anspruchslos
- bescheidenmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- anspruchslosmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- unaufdringlichmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- unprätentiösmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Hungarian szerény, egyszerű
- szerénymodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- egyszerűmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- igénytelenmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- diszkrétmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- visszafogottmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Icelandic lítillátur
- lítilláturmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Latin summissus
- summissusmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Māori whakamōwai, hūnguengue
- whakamōwaimodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- hūnguenguemodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Polish skromny, bezpretensjonalny
- skromnymodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- bezpretensjonalnymodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Russian непритяза́тельный, скро́мный
- непритяза́тельный (nepritjazátelʹnyj)modest with no pretensions or ostentation
- скро́мный (skrómnyj)modest with no pretensions or ostentation
Spanish sencillo, modesto
- sencillomodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- modestomodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- sin pretensionesmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- non asumientemodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Swedish anspråkslös
- anspråkslösmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Turkish alçakgönüllü, mütevazı
- alçakgönüllümodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- mütevazımodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- iddiasızmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
- gösterişsizmodest with no pretensions or ostentation
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with unassuming
All rhymes →Cite this entry
unassuming. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unassuming
“unassuming.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unassuming. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “unassuming,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/unassuming.
Source: unassuming on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.