demure
Quiet, shy and very well-behaved.
demure in a sentence
- The demure new girl sat quietly at the back of the class, too shy to raise her hand.
- In the old photograph, great-granny looks demure, hands folded neatly and eyes lowered shyly.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to demure?
- Ashy
- Bbold
- Cloud
- Dcheeky
Show the answer
A: shy. The other three mean the opposite of demure.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to demure?
- Ashy
- Bbold
- Cquiet
- Dmodest
Show the answer
B: bold. The other three mean nearly the same as demure.
Words that mean something similar
shy, modest, quiet
Words that mean the opposite
bold, loud, cheeky
More words about behaviour & manners
- deprive: To take away something that a person needs.
- deter: To put someone off doing something.
- devote: To give a lot of your time, effort or love to something.
- disarray: A state of untidiness and confusion.
- discreet: Careful not to attract attention or give away secrets.
- distasteful: Unpleasant or offensive, so that you dislike it.
- docile: Quiet, gentle and easy to control.
- dutiful: Careful to do everything you are supposed to do.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test