false modesty

false modesty

A vain or hypocritical pretense of holding a low or humble opinion of oneself, one's abilities, or one's circumstance so as to encourage others to say the opposite. There's no need for that false modesty here; you are fully aware of your success and achievement, and you don't need me to reaffirm it for you. I find her false modesty quite unbecoming.
See also: false, modesty
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • abode
  • at (one's) doorstep
  • at doorstep
  • (one's) bearings
  • bite (one's) tongue
  • bite one's tongue
  • bite tongue
  • at somebody's expense
  • at someone's expense
  • at (one's) expense
References in classic literature
It is false modesty, I know it is that, but you can make it easy for me.
No false modesty; take the best horse you can find.
"Oh!" replied the officer, with an air of false modesty, "your majesty says so because I still have a good eye and a tolerably firm foot -- because I can still ride a horse, and my mustache is black; but, sire, vanity of vanities all that -- illusions all that -- appearance, smoke, sire!
This young olive-branch, notorious under the name of Timothy's Bess's Ben, being of an inquiring disposition, unchecked by any false modesty, had advanced beyond the group of women and children, and was walking round the Methodists, looking up in their faces with his mouth wide open, and beating his stick against the milk-can by way of musical accompaniment.
The Countess G wished to revive the subject of the count, but Franz announced he had something far newer to tell her, and, in spite of Albert's demonstrations of false modesty, he informed the countess of the great event which had preoccupied them for the last three days.
Regarding the episode of "Pavlicheff's son," Gania had been absolutely silent, partly from a kind of false modesty, partly, perhaps, to "spare the prince's feelings." The latter, however, thanked him again for the trouble he had taken in the affair.
Why should we make it a point with our false modesty to disparage that man we are and that form of being assigned to us?
This is not false modesty. The problem of achieving a durable peace between Israel and its Arab neighbors is complicated enough.
I'm sure people will think this is false modesty, but in 1983 I was someone who could barely sing and had a few ideas.
Alan Knott, ("utterly modest, and equally free of false modesty") and the great Sri Lankan 'keeper Kumar Sangakkara complete the quartet.
But false modesty aside, the 53-year-old still managed to play his part in a title charge in Gorgie, as a 15-game unbeaten run prompted talk Joe Jordan's Jambos could unseat big-spending Rangers.
One thing is certain: False modesty will not appear on any list of his character traits."They're gonna miss me when I'm gone," he told NJ Advance Media in a farewell interview.
It's not false modesty when I say it is all about them and not me.
Increasing these egoless moments is good, but George warns about false modesty or trying hard to appear virtuous or spiritual or holier than thou.