Vocab: tagasihoidlik - modest
modest; humble; reserved; reserved in nature and behavior, not showy or intrusive; simple, unpretentious; moderate, without excess
Building blocks
tagasi- → back
-hoid- → root of the verb hoidma, meaning “to hold” / “to keep”
-lik → an adjective-forming ending, meaning “-ish” / “having the quality of”
So literally, it’s like “having the quality of holding back”
How to use it:
Here is how you use the word “tagasihoidlik” ⬇️
Examples
Tulemused olid tagasihoidlikud, aga siiski positiivsed
Literally: “Results were modest but still positive”
Idiomatically: “The results were modest, but still positive”
Tulemused - Noun - Nominative Plural: "Results"
olid - Verb - 3rd Person Plural, Past Tense: "were"
tagasihoidlikud - Adjective - Nominative Plural: "modest"
aga - Conjuction - Indeclinable: "but"
siiski - Adverb - Indeclinable: "still"
positiivsed - Adjective - Nominative Plural: "positive"