unassuming means modest and having no pretensions or ostentation. It carries an Arena rating of 1680, earned across 12 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, unassuming ranks #508 of 17,126 for Most Elegant Words, #2,621 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #3,272 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #7,662 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound.
unassuming is pronounced /ʌnəˈsjuːmɪŋ/.
Why “unassuming” is a great word
Modest and lacking in pretension or arrogance. From the English prefix un- ("not") + the present participle of assume, from Latin assumere ("to take up, adopt"). Unlike "pretentious," which strains to impress by feigning grandeur, or "ostentatious," which blazes with gaudy display, unassuming denotes a quiet authenticity that refuses the performance. It is the worn leather satchel carried for decades, the quiet expertise offered only when asked, the guest who arrives early to help and leaves without a fuss—the art of occupying space so lightly that the space itself seems to remember you fondly, if at all.
Etymology
From un- + assuming.
adj
- Modest and having no pretensions or ostentation.e.g.“Various bridges were required, including a lofty one at Brantham, but money was saved by providing unassuming structures at the three intermediate stations.” — 1946 September and October, “Centenary of the Ipswich-Colchester Line”, in Railway Magazine, page 307:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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