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.