coy

1 of 2

adjective

ˈkȯi 

1

a

: marked by cute, coquettish, or artful playfulness

using coy tricks to attract attention

b

: shrinking from contact or familiarity

"'Tis but a kiss I beg, Why art thou coy?"

—William Shakespeare

2

: showing reluctance to make a definite commitment

a coy response

coyly adverb

coyness noun

coy

2 of 2

verb

coyed; coying; coys

transitive verb

obsolete : caress

intransitive verb

archaic : to act coyly (see coy entry 1)

Synonyms

Adjective

• coquettish
• demure
• kittenish

Choose the Right Synonym for coy

shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward.

shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

shy with strangers

bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence.

a bashful boy out on his first date

diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking.

felt diffident about raising an objection

modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit.

modest about her success

coy implies a pretended shyness.

put off by her coy manner

Examples of coy in a Sentence

Adjective

It is distinctly odd to read a whole page dedicated to Hitler's life and character without a reference to his anti-Semitism. To say that Swiss banks contained gold coming from the bank accounts, the jewelry boxes, and the teeth of "concentration camp victims" is a little coy. —Ian Buruma, New Republic, 31 Jan. 2000

Rival camps are terrified that Bush will reject federal matching funds and the campaign-spending limits they impose, and Bush's aides are coy on the subject. —John F. Dickerson, Time, 8 Mar. 1999

And there's Julia, the charming "chatterbot" (a text-based computer character), whose coy pickup banter echoes that of real-life Internet flirts. —Michiko Kakutani, Albany (New York) Times-Union, 20 Aug. 1997

I didn't like her coy manner.

He gave a coy answer.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The Grammy-winning rapper has long been coy about his love life, but comedian Jerrod Carmichael recently opened up about how Tyler rejected his advances during an episode of his new reality show Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show. —Michael Saponara, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024

Eric Gentry took his place at the front of the crowd of reporters, a coy smile already on his face. —Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024

Aoki Lee Simmons, 21, is speaking out, in a coy way, after the model was seen sharing a kiss with restaurateur Vittorio Assaf, who is 65. —Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 6 Apr. 2024

There was a coy smile [on this agent’s face], knowing he got caught. —Marlene Lenthang, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

Lewis was coy last week when he was asked which quarterback would run the first play. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024

Being coy may have suited the Houthis in the early days, and their ambitions may have evolved over time. —Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024

There’s a sense that Chalamet has not just stepped into the role but stepped up his game to play Paul 2.0, even if his coy courtship of Zendaya’s character occasionally veers into heartthrob’s-gonna-heartthrob territory. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Feb. 2024

The Charter chief was also decidedly coy when asked about Wall Street chatter around his company considering a takeover of rival cable TV operator Altice USA. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective and Verb

Middle English, quiet, shy, from Anglo-French quoi, quei, koi quiet, from Latin quietus

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing coy

• play coy

Kids Definition

coy

adjective

ˈkȯi

1

: bashful, shy

2

: marked by cute or sly playfulness or pretended shyness

using coy tricks to attract attention

coyly adverb

coyness noun