Standard Lemma guide

demure

adj · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /dəˈmjɔː(ɹ)/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /dɪˈmjɵː(ɹ)/
  • British, Southern, Standard: /dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/
  • General-American, US: /dɪˈmjʊɹ/
  • General-American, US: /dɪˈmjɔɹ/
  • Australian: /dəˈmjʊə(ɹ)/
  • New-Zealand: /dəˈmjʉə(ɹ)/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ʊə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: D IH0 M Y UH1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Modest, quiet, reserved, or serious.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • She is a demure young lady.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: retiring, shy, sober, austere, frightful, demure, serious, grave, earnest, grievous, lack-laughter, thoughtful, sad, sage, saturnine, sedate, solemn, solemncholy, somber, sombre, staid, stern, sweer, weightsome, weighty

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Affectedly modest, decorous, or serious; making a show of gravity.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: coy

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To look demurely.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: coy, overmodest

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English demure, demwre, an abbreviation of Anglo-Norman de mure port (“with a mature demeanor”) (compare Old French meur from Latin mātūrus): *si il seyt coy e de mure port (Amur curteiz) (“he sits quietly and with a mature appearance”) * Documents illustrating the history of Scotland, CLV, 1306, Orders for the custody of Scottish prisoners, CLV: ...et que eles soient de bon et meur port (“...with a good and mature demeanor”) * mss. Arundel, 220: ke cely qe vus amerez soyt de gentil manere, coy, de meure porture (“with a mature demeanor”) * (Monastic rule): de aunciene dame de meure porture ke pusse les plus ieuenes rieueler e endoctriner (“an old lady with a mature demeanor able to rule and educate the young girls”).

Across languages

Translations

81 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: համեստ (hamest) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Armenian: լուրջ (lurǰ) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Armenian: ծանրաբարո (canrabaro) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Bulgarian: сериозен (seriozen) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Bulgarian: скромен (skromen) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Catalan: modest — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Catalan: modesta — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Catalan: pudorós — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Catalan: pudorosa — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Catalan: púdic — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Catalan: púdica — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Chinese Mandarin: 嫻靜 /娴静 (xiánjìng) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Chinese Mandarin: 斯文 (sīwén) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Chinese Mandarin: 矜持 (jīnchí) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Czech: ostýchavý — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Czech: zdrženlivý — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Czech: plachý — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Czech: upejpavý — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Czech: stydlivý — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Czech: skromný — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Danish: ærbar — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Danish: dydig — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Danish: knibsk — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Dutch: bescheiden — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Dutch: beschaafd — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Dutch: keurig — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Dutch: netjes — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Estonian: tagasihoidlik — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Finnish: kaino — modest, quiet, reserved
  • French: réservé — modest, quiet, reserved
  • French: discret — modest, quiet, reserved
  • French: sobre — modest, quiet, reserved
  • French: sérieux — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Georgian: თავმდაბალი (tavmdabali) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • German: zurückhaltend — modest, quiet, reserved
  • German: ernst — modest, quiet, reserved
  • German: sittsam — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Greek: χαμηλοθώρης (chamilothóris) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Greek: χαμηλοβλεπούσα (chamilovlepoúsa) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Hungarian: tartózkodó — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Hungarian: visszafogott — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Hungarian: diszkrét — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Hungarian: komoly — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Hungarian: szolid — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Hungarian: decens — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Ingrian: häpelikäs — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Irish: stuama — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Italian: pudico — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Italian: riservato — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Japanese: 大人しやか (otonashiyaka) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Japanese: ひかえめ (hikaeme) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Kazakh: сыпайы (sypaiy) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Kazakh: сабырлы (sabyrly) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Kazakh: ұстамды (ūstamdy) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Korean: 얌전하다 (yamjeonhada) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Korean: 조용하다 (joyonghada) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Māori: whakamōwai — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Māori: tōngā — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Middle English: demure — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Middle English: mure — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Norwegian: reservert — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Norwegian: anstendig — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Portuguese: recatado — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Portuguese: modesto — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Portuguese: reservado — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Russian: скро́мный (skrómnyj) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Russian: серьёзный (serʹjóznyj) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Russian: сде́ржанный (sdéržannyj) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Russian: ти́хий (tíxij) — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Scottish Gaelic: stuama — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Sicilian: risarbatu — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Sicilian: spirtuni — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Sicilian: maturu — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Spanish: recatado — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Spanish: comedido — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Spanish: modoso — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Swedish: allvarlig — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Swedish: blygsam — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Swedish: tyst — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Swedish: anständig — modest, quiet, reserved
  • Swedish: måttfull — modest, quiet, reserved