false modesty

English

Noun

false modesty (countable and uncountable, plural false modesties)

1. Behavior that is intended to seem humble but comes across as fake and unflattering.

   Although having a large ego is considered undesirable, at times it is proper to take credit where it is due rather than display false modesty.

   • 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:

     At her invitation he outlined for her the succeeding chapters with terse military accuracy ; and what she liked best and best understood was avoidance of that false modesty which condescends, turning technicality into pabulum.

Translations

behavior that is intended to seem humble but comes across as fake and unflattering

• Catalan: falsa modèstia f
• Finnish: teennäinen vaatimattomuus
• French: fausse modestie (fr) f
• German: falsche Bescheidenheit f
• Hungarian: álszerénység (hu)
• Italian: falsa modestia f
• Polish: fałszywa skromność f
• Portuguese: falsa modéstia f

See also

• humblebrag