demure

What does demure mean?

Demure spent centuries meaning modest and reserved, the kind of word that showed up on etiquette pages. On TikTok it became a gag: doing something quietly, politely or with restraint, and announcing it as very demure, very mindful. The joke works because the performance of modesty is itself a way of bragging about how calm you are, and clips flew with captions praising everything from workplace habits to leaving a party early.

Where does demure come from?

The relaunch came from Jools Lebron, a TikTok creator whose August 2024 video about doing her makeup for work in a demure, mindful way went viral with its clipped delivery. Dictionary.com named demure its word of the year for 2024, and the audio spread far enough that brand accounts were using it before the month was out.

How to use demure

• He left the group chat mid-argument without saying a word. Very demure, very mindful.
• Everyone showed up to the meeting in hoodies; I had one neat blazer on, which felt very demure of me.