Of a quiet, modest,
unassuming, reserved nature. Somebody who is serious or sober (moderate, self-controlled) and even shy. For most of the 1800s, this was the ideal for a woman, as illustrated in
Jane Austen's works and the works of many poets, writers, artists, and leaders. Not necessarily a
doormat, but certainly a docile, gentle kind of persona.
The boy next door was
enraptured by the
ingenue, a shy, demure thing with big
doe eyes and a sweet disposition.
He was a demure, unpretentious young man with his feet planted on the ground.
