false modesty



Like this video? Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day!

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
Aristaə-RIS-tə (English)Astronomy
Elmer['elmə]
Gibbons['gibənz]
KendraKEN-drəEnglish
Rostislavrahs-tee-SLAHF (Russian)Russian, Czech, Medieval Slavic
Bhumi-Hinduism