Standard Lemma guide

unassuming

adj · 2 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.

  • /ʌnəˈsjuːmɪŋ/
  • /ʌnəˈsuːmɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -uːmɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: AH2 N AH0 S UW1 M IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Modest and having no pretensions or ostentation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adjective satellite

Meaning 2

not arrogant or presuming

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • unassuming to a fault, skeptical about the value of his work
  • a shy retiring girl

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: retiring

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *né Proto-Indo-European *n̥- Proto-Germanic *un- Proto-West Germanic *un- Old English un- Middle English un- English un- English assuming English unassuming From un- + assuming.

Across languages

Translations

34 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: скромен (skromen) — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Bulgarian: непретенциозен (nepretenciozen) — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Dutch: bescheiden — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Dutch: pretentieloos — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Esperanto: neafektema — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Finnish: vaatimaton — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • French: sans prétention — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • German: bescheiden — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • German: anspruchslos — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • German: unaufdringlich — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • German: unprätentiös — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Hungarian: szerény — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Hungarian: egyszerű — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Hungarian: igénytelen — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Hungarian: diszkrét — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Hungarian: visszafogott — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Icelandic: lítillátur — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Latin: summissus — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Māori: whakamōwai — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Māori: hūnguengue — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Polish: skromny — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Polish: bezpretensjonalny — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Russian: непритяза́тельный (nepritjazátelʹnyj) — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Russian: скро́мный (skrómnyj) — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Serbo-Croatian: skroman — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Spanish: sencillo — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Spanish: modesto — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Spanish: sin pretensiones — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Spanish: non asumiente — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Swedish: anspråkslös — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Turkish: alçakgönüllü — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Turkish: mütevazı — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Turkish: iddiasız — modest with no pretensions or ostentation
  • Turkish: gösterişsiz — modest with no pretensions or ostentation