What does demure mean?
Word: Demure
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Demure means quiet, modest and a little shy in manner.
Synonyms: modest, reserved
How do you spell demure?
Syllables: de - mure
Tricky part: A quick, light first vowel often turns into an i on paper, giving dimure.
Watch out for: dimure, deemure, dimmure
Memory tip: A demure pupil keeps eyes cast down: the low, round e suits that mood, not the i standing tall with its dot.
Demure in a sentence
Example 1: Mira looked demure in the class photo, but she is the loudest player on the team.
Example 2: She gave a demure nod and went back to her book.
Example 3: The heroine of the old film is demure and says very little.
Fun Fact
Demure became a surprise craze in 2024, when a short video calling everyday habits very demure spread across social media.
Practise the CREST Way
Spell-o-Spell
Find the correctly spelt word in the list and choose its meaning.
1. genrous 2. boastfull 3. demure 4. energetick
a) full of life and always on the move
b) talking too proudly about yourself
c) happy to give more than is expected
d) gentle and never showy in the way you behave
Show answer
d) gentle and never showy in the way you behave. Demure is the correct one; boastful, generous and energetic are misspelt here.
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word demure as used in the sentence:
The demure new pupil spoke so softly that the teacher had to lean in to hear her.
a) honest
b) tidy
c) sleepy
d) bold
Show answer
d) bold. A bold pupil would speak up, which is the reverse of this one.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
Behind that reeumd smile was a pupil who could beat anyone at chess.
a) devour
b) remedy
c) mature
d) demure
Show answer
d) demure. With no a, y or o among the letters, mature, remedy and devour all fall away.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
dem_r_
a) u,a
b) o,e
c) u,e
d) o,a
Show answer
c) u,e. A u sits between the m and the r, and an e closes the word.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which habit best suits a demure person?
a) telling jokes to the whole school hall
b) pushing to the front of every queue
c) staying quiet and out of the spotlight
d) shouting the loudest at a cricket match
Show answer
c) staying quiet and out of the spotlight
2. What is demure usually used to describe?
a) how a machine works
b) how a dish tastes
c) how a room is painted
d) how a person behaves
Show answer
d) how a person behaves
