Word · Frequency #11129
modestly
谦逊地；适度地
with modesty; in a modest manner
- 1.
In a modest manner; with humility.
以谦逊的方式；谦逊地。
- 2.
To a small degree.
在很小的程度上。
以谦逊的方式；谦逊地。；在很小的程度上。；适当地；谨慎地
In use
She modestly attributed her success to her team.
The apartment is modestly priced for this area.
He smiled modestly when his work was praised.
verb + modestly
用于动词后，表示以谦逊的态度做某事。
She spoke modestly about her achievements.
她谦逊地谈到了自己的成就。
be modestly + adj/pp
用于 be 动词后修饰形容词或过去分词，表示程度适中或有限。
The hotel is modestly priced for the area.
就这个地区而言，这家酒店定价适中。
Common mistakes
She modest accepted the award.She modestly accepted the award.
修饰动词 accepted 要用副词 modestly，不能用形容词 modest；modest 只能修饰名词。
They live in a modestly house.They live in a modest house.
修饰名词 house 要用形容词 modest，副词 modestly 不能放在名词前作定语。
He modestly answered the difficult question.He appropriately answered the difficult question.
modestly 表示“谦虚地/朴素地”，不表示“适当地/得体地”；中文“适当地”直译成 modestly 是误用，表达“适当地”应用 appropriately。
Connections
Collocations
- modestly priced
- 价格适中的
- The hotel offers modestly priced rooms for budget travelers.这家酒店为预算有限的旅客提供价格适中的房间。
- modestly dressed
- 衣着朴素的
- She was modestly dressed for the formal occasion.她为这个正式场合衣着朴素。
- live modestly
- 生活简朴
- After retiring, they chose to live modestly on a small pension.退休后，他们选择靠微薄养老金过简朴的生活。
- modestly successful
- 小有成就的
- His modestly successful first novel gave him encouragement to continue writing.他第一本小有成就的小说给了他继续写作的鼓励。
- say modestly
- 谦逊地说
- He modestly said that his victory was due to teamwork.他谦逊地说自己的胜利归功于团队合作。
Idioms & figurative uses
Learner notes
Memory Tip
记忆：modestly 来自 modest（谦逊的/适度的）+ -ly，想象一个人低头轻声说“我做得还不够”，既谦虚又有分寸。
Context & Register
语域：neutral 常见场景：日常对话、书面报道、正式发言 该词通常用于中性语境，多出现在描述人的态度、衣着或数量、程度适中的场合；在口语和书面语中都较常见，没有明显的正式或非正式色彩。
Pronunciation & Spelling
None of these words rhymes exactly with 'modestly' (/ˈmɑːdɪstli/ in AmE). 'Mostly' and 'ghostly' rhyme with each other (/ˈmoʊstli/, /ˈɡoʊstli/) because their stressed vowel and following sounds match. Be careful: 'honestly' (/ˈɑːnɪstli/) and 'earnestly' (/ˈɜːrnɪstli/) share the written '-estly' with 'modestly', but their vowel and consonant after the stressed syllable differ, so they are not rhymes. Similarly, 'mostly', 'costly', 'ghostly', and 'ghastly' share the written '-stly' but differ in vowel or consonant sounds.
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.