DictionarymodestyDecency in dress and behavior
noun

modesty

Restraint in dress or behavior to avoid seeming indecent.

She chooses clothing that meets her own standards of modesty.

Etymology

The Latin noun names moderation and self-restraint. In this sense, the restraint concerns behavior or clothing judged against a community's standards of decency.

More examples

  • The custom emphasized modesty.
  • He discussed modesty in dress.
  • Their views of modesty differed.

Forms

modesty

modest adjective — restrained in dress or behavior

Similar words

propriety
Conformity to accepted behavior more broadly.
restraint
Holding back without specifically decency concerns.