coquette

noun

co·​quette kō-ˈket How to pronounce coquette (audio)
plural coquettes
1
: a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men
… the book brought to mind a true Southern coquette, flashy and sweet and alluring all at the same time.Tina Jordan
2
: any of several small, tropical American hummingbirds (genus Lophornis) with the males typically having a colorful or ornate tuft of feathers on the head
… the rufous-crested coquette, a tiny hummingbird (with a red mohawk "hair-do") that was just as … flirty as its name.Thelma Dalmas
But the tiniest of these hummers was the one that elicited the most excitement: a festive coquette, an extremely rare green-crested bird with a white rump patch, only 3 inches long.James F. McCarty
coquettish adjective
coquettishly adverb
coquettishness noun

Examples of coquette in a Sentence

She was a bit of a coquette.
Recent Examples on the Web While coquette is defined by soft pastels, lace and pearls, romantic florals, and old English elegance, grunge coquette adds a jagged feel with darker colors, distressed details, and gothic accents. Cori Sears, Better Homes & Gardens, 6 Mar. 2024 The whole thing managed to repackage the hyper-feminine clichés beloved by #coquettes as something dark and mysterious and even funereal. Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 26 Feb. 2024 For a touch of coquette sweetness, Giannetos placed a black velvet bow right at the top of the twist, but this wasn't a prissy, princessy bow; the ribbons were cut unevenly for a punk edge, and Fox's dark roots toughened up the sugary aesthetic, as did her spike necklace and black skeleton tee. Kara Nesvig, Allure, 12 Feb. 2024 The pop star wore a stunning floral black dress with puff sleeves and a coquette bow in her hair, accessorizing with bow-flanked little black gloves and a black handbag and Fred Leighton jewels. Ilana Kaplan, Peoplemag, 8 Feb. 2024 Chanel nail artist Betina Goldstein is known for her contemporary takes on trends, so naturally her version of coquette nails includes pared back shimmer with a tasteful touch: pearls. Violeta Valdés, Vogue, 15 Jan. 2024 Start with dessert decoration—perhaps the meal that calls for a coquette feel out of any other. Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Dec. 2023 Also in the carousel of pics, Alix modeled the same coquette bikini in white with tiny pink bows. Briannah Rivera, Seventeen, 11 Apr. 2023 However, Florence is also known to embrace a saccharine aesthetic, aligning perfectly with the resurgent coquette trend seen on TikTok. Alex Kessler, Vogue, 10 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coquette.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, feminine of coquet — see coquet entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of coquette was circa 1611

Dictionary Entries Near coquette

Cite this Entry

“Coquette.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coquette. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

coquette

noun
co·​quette kō-ˈket How to pronounce coquette (audio)
: a woman who tries without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men : flirt
coquettish adjective
coquettishly adverb
coquettishness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on coquette

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