Modest vs. Ambitious

Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble.

Small, moderate in size.

Example: ‘He earns a modest amount of money.’; ‘Her latest novel was a modest success.’;

Pure and delicate from a sense of propriety.

Example: ‘modest thoughts or language’;

(especially of behaviour or clothing) Intending to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others.

Restraining within due limits of propriety; not forward, bold, boastful, or presumptious; rather retiring than pushing one's self forward; not obstructive; as, a modest youth; a modest man.

Observing the proprieties of the sex; not unwomanly in act or bearing; free from undue familiarity, indecency, or lewdness; decent in speech and demeanor; - said of a woman.

Example: ‘Mrs. Ford, the honest woman, the modest wife.’; ‘The blushing beauties of a modest maid.’;

Evincing modestly in the actor, author, or speaker; not showing presumption; not excessive or extreme; moderate; as, a modest request; modest joy.

marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself;

Example: ‘a modest apartment’; ‘too modest to wear his medals’;

not large but sufficient in size or amount;

Example: ‘a modest salary’; ‘modest inflation’; ‘helped in my own small way’;

free from pomp or affectation;

Example: ‘comfortable but modest cottages’; ‘a simple rectangular brick building’; ‘a simple man with simple tastes’;

not offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance

low or inferior in station or quality;

Example: ‘a humble cottage’; ‘a lowly parish priest’; ‘a modest man of the people’; ‘small beginnings’;

humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness;

Example: ‘meek and self-effacing’;

limited in size or scope;

Example: ‘a small business’; ‘a newspaper with a modest circulation’; ‘small-scale plans’; ‘a pocket-size country’;

free from ostentation or pretension;

Example: ‘the restrained elegance of the room’;

unassuming in the estimation of one's abilities or achievements

Example: ‘he was a very modest man, refusing to take any credit for the enterprise’;

(of an amount, rate, or level) relatively moderate, limited, or small

Example: ‘drink modest amounts of alcohol’; ‘employment growth was relatively modest’;

not large, elaborate, or expensive

Example: ‘a modest flat in Fulham’; ‘it was a nice wedding, necessarily modest’;

(of a woman) dressing or behaving so as to avoid impropriety or indecency, especially to avoid attracting sexual attention

Example: ‘the modest women wear long-sleeved dresses and all but cover their faces’;

(of clothing) not revealing or emphasizing a person's figure

Example: ‘modest dress means that hemlines must be below the knee’;

Modest may refer to:

(of a person or their character) Having or showing ambition; wanting a lot of power, honor, respect, superiority, or other distinction.

Example: ‘an ambitious person’; ‘someone's ambitious nature’;

(followed by "of" or the infinitive) Very desirous

Resulting from, characterized by, or indicating, ambition

Example: ‘an ambitious project’; ‘an ambitious style’; ‘an ambitious attempt to take power’; ‘an ambitious plan’; ‘an ambitious goal’;

Hard to achieve.

Possessing, or controlled by, ambition; greatly or inordinately desirous of power, honor, office, superiority, or distinction.

Example: ‘Yet Brutus says he was ambitious,And Brutus is an honorable man.’;

Strongly desirous; - followed by of or the infinitive; as, ambitious to be or to do something.

Example: ‘I was not ambitious of seeing this ceremony.’; ‘Studious of song, and yet ambitious not to sing in vain.’;

Springing from, characterized by, or indicating, ambition; showy; aspiring; as, an ambitious style.

Example: ‘A giant statue . . . Pushed by a wild and artless race,From off wide, ambitious base.’;

having a strong desire for success or achievement

requiring full use of your abilities or resources;

Example: ‘ambitious schedule’; ‘performed the most challenging task without a mistake’;