as in meek
not talking or behaving in a loud and confident way
a modest, unassertive person an unassertive manner
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Recent Examples of unassertive
Shy and unassertive, she’s often been overlooked by others and kept to herself.
—
Yasmine Alsayyad, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
After a time, Patterson’s play-it-down-the-middle approach feels less like the remembrances of a Renaissance man and more like evasive, unassertive hedging.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 6 June 2022
The sun, only rarely in evidence behind gray clouds, set quickly and bade us an unassertive farewell.
—Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2022
My own thoughts have been along the line of weak, unassertive, super humble and timid.
—Glenna Christensen, idahostatesman, 14 June 2018
Meryl Streep stars as Post owner Katherine Graham, an unassertive socialite who normally follows the journalistic lead of her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks, playing it too cute).
—John Powers, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2017
Yasmine Alsayyad, The New Yorker, 9 Jan. 2023
After a time, Patterson’s play-it-down-the-middle approach feels less like the remembrances of a Renaissance man and more like evasive, unassertive hedging.
—Mark Athitakis, Washington Post, 6 June 2022
The sun, only rarely in evidence behind gray clouds, set quickly and bade us an unassertive farewell.
—Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2022
My own thoughts have been along the line of weak, unassertive, super humble and timid.
—Glenna Christensen, idahostatesman, 14 June 2018
Meryl Streep stars as Post owner Katherine Graham, an unassertive socialite who normally follows the journalistic lead of her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks, playing it too cute).
—John Powers, Vogue, 13 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for unassertive
Adjective
-
Misty is really Joe Brown, a meek hotel accountant, but after 30 minutes with makeup, a fantastic outfit, and big hair — shazzam!—
Sandra Dallas,
The Denver Post,
2 Feb. 2025
-
Flip-up covers on the front and rear boxes open up a pair of rather meek storage areas for carrying your shopping bags around, and the rear cover makes a small concession to comfort, revealing a half-inch thick seat pad when it's fully flipped open.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
By the time Napoleon invaded Egypt, in 1798, Alexandria had become a humble Ottoman port.—
Hannah Edgar,
ARTnews.com,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Instead, Ram is using the humble 3.6 L Pentastar V6.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
27 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Though Hong Kong’s economy grew at a modest pace of 2.5% in 2024, China’s stimulus measures lifted investor sentiment, driving up the benchmark Hang Seng index by more than a third from a year ago.—
Jane Ho,
Forbes,
26 Feb. 2025
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Jake Evans, Montreal Canadiens Evans won’t move the needle much, but the seventh-round pick has become a reliable checker and penalty killer and could be available for a modest price.—
Michael Russo,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Cannoli certainly seemed to be timid around dogs who bark a lot, leading Saulino to believe she felt intimidated by them.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Zych was impressed by Lekki’s transformation from timid freshman to inspiring team leader.—
Matt Le Cren,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Unassertive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unassertive. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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