Unassuming: meaning, example and synonyms
Unassumingadj. Modest; not wanting to draw attention to oneself or one's abilities.
Example
Despite her influential research, the unassuming chemist preferred to credit her students when the lab's findings were praised.
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Synonyms
- modest, humble, unpretentious, self-effacing
- Antonyms
- arrogant, pretentious, boastful, conceited
- Memory tip
- un- ("not") + assuming (taking airs): someone who doesn't show off.
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Check yourself: Unassuming in context
The library's ______ entrance, a plain wooden door between two shops, gave little hint of the vast collection inside.
Answer: unassuming. A plain door that gives little hint of what's inside is modest and doesn't draw attention. It isn't huge, debated or unaffected.
Colleagues described the engineer as ______: she rarely mentioned her patents and always ate lunch with the newest interns.
Answer: unassuming. Not mentioning her achievements and mixing with newcomers shows modesty. Dogmatic, unscrupulous and incongruous don't fit that behavior.