Modest proposal Meaning in English

expression

US

UK

التعريف

A 'modest proposal' is a suggestion or plan that is presented as simple or humble. The phrase is also famous as the title of Jonathan Swift's satirical essay, where he uses understatement to highlight a shocking idea.

الاستخدام والفروق الدقيقة

Literally, it means a humble suggestion, but in literary or academic settings, 'modest proposal' can refer sarcastically to extreme or satirical ideas, especially referencing Swift’s essay. Used both seriously and ironically. Not common in spoken, everyday English unless referencing the essay or using deliberate irony.

• Spanish: propuesta modesta - (referencia literaria) Propuesta Modesta (obra de Jonathan Swift)
• Portuguese (BR): proposta modesta - (referência literária) Uma Modesta Proposta (obra de Jonathan Swift)
• Portuguese (PT): proposta modesta - (referência literária) Uma Modesta Proposta (obra de Jonathan Swift)
• Chinese (Simplified): 温和的提议 - （文学典故）斯威夫特的《一个小小的建议》
• Chinese (Traditional): 溫和的提議 - （文學典故）斯威夫特的《一個小小的建議》
• Hindi: विनम्र प्रस्ताव - (साहित्यिक संदर्भ) जॉनाथन स्विफ्ट की 'A Modest Proposal'
• Arabic: اقتراح متواضع - (مرجع أدبي) 'اقتراح متواضع' لجوناثان سويفت
• Bengali: সাধারণ প্রস্তাব - বিনয়ী প্রস্তাব
• Russian: скромное предложение
• Japanese: 控えめな提案
• Vietnamese: đề xuất khiêm tốn
• Korean: 겸손한 제안
• Turkish: mütevazı öneri
• Urdu: نرم سی تجویز - عاجزانہ تجویز
• Indonesian: usulan sederhana

جمل نموذجية

When he said he had a modest proposal, I knew he was joking about something outrageous.

natural

Have you ever heard of Swift’s 'Modest Proposal'? It’s actually a biting piece of satire.

natural

He made a modest proposal to help clean the park.

basic

She offered a modest proposal during the meeting.

basic

A modest proposal can sometimes solve big problems.

basic

Her modest proposal sounded reasonable, but it changed everything about the project.

natural