false modesty



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false modesty

A vain or hypocritical pretense of holding a low or humble opinion of oneself, one's abilities, or one's circumstance so as to encourage others to say the opposite. There's no need for that false modesty here; you are fully aware of your success and achievement, and you don't need me to reaffirm it for you. I find her false modesty quite unbecoming.
See also: false, modesty

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Nyx-Greek Mythology
Roseanne[rəu'zæn]
Daumantas-Lithuanian
Baldry['bɔ:ldri]
Wikolia-Hawaiian
Muhsin-Arabic