Most of us probably encountered the word Humble first before Modest. My first encounter of Modest was during my secondary (High) school days. Modesty is part of the school motto, and till the day I graduated from university, I still thought that modest was equivalent to humble.
I really wanted to say that both adjectives mean the same. Even the dictionaries show examples that to a certain extent, that both words can be used interchangebly. However, I had came across sources which show that they do have different meanings.
Humble refers to being unpretentious, not arrogant, submission, and some degree of inferiority. Example, He expresses his humble apologies. OR He came from a humble background.
Modest refers to not bragging about one's achievements. In some cases, equivalent to limited size, amount or capacity. For example. Although he is a top student in this year, he remains modest about his results. OR He is earning a modest income to support the family.
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