Demure

/dɪˈmjʊə(ɹ)/ · adjective

Meaning

(chiefly of a woman) Modest, quiet, reserved, or serious..

Definitions by Sense

1. (chiefly of a woman) Modest, quiet, reserved, or serious.
2. Affectedly modest, decorous, or serious; making a show of gravity.
3. (obsolete) To look demurely.

Example Sentences

She is a demure young lady.

Nan was very much delighted in her demure way, and that delight showed itself in her face and in her clear bright eyes.

I was coming back from the ladies' room when I saw her. She looked demure. Oval wire-rimmed glasses. A sky blue jacket buttoned over a long black-and-white flowered shirt.

[H]owever hard she pushed the tough-talkin' shtick, she remained doe-eyed, glowing and somehow unassailably demure.

And in their daily lives, girls and women are pushed to conform to fairly narrow templates of behavior as demure or delicate.

Miss Lizzy, I have no doubt, would be as demure and coquettish, as if ten winters more had gone over her head.

Your Wife Octavia, with her modeſt eyes, / […] ſhall acquire no Honour / Demuring vpon me:

Synonyms for demure

Antonyms for demure

Related Words

Word Forms

• demurer
• demurest
• demures
• demuring
• demured

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions