Modest in and modest about are both standard, but they are used differently. Modest in refers to behaviour or qualities, while modest about refers to topics such as achievements or abilities.
Use modest in before a quality or behaviour: modest in manner, modest in his demands. Use modest about before the thing someone does not boast about: modest about her success. Both patterns are standard but have different meanings.
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
Use in before nouns that describe manners, behaviour, demands, or expectations.
Use about before achievements, abilities, success, or possessions.
Modest can also mean limited in size, cost, or degree.
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Use about when referring to success, talent, or accomplishments.
✕ She is modest in her achievements. ✓ She is modest about her achievements.Use in before manners, expectations, or demands.
✕ He is modest about his expectations. ✓ He is modest in his expectations.Modest often focuses on not boasting or on limited size, while humble has a broader meaning.
✓ She is modest about her success and humble toward her team.Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Yes, but they express different meanings. Modest in describes qualities or behaviour, while modest about refers to achievements or possessions.
Not always. With can appear in broader sentence structures, but it is not the usual fixed pattern after modest.
Yes. It can describe something small or limited, such as a modest budget or a modest increase.
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