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
Karan['kærən]
HƯỜNg-Vietnamese
BravaBRAH-vahEsperanto
Alisaah-LEE-sah (Russian), AH-lee-sah (Finnish)Russian, Finnish
Torger-Norwegian
Lucinda[lu:'sində]