1
2
: showing reluctance to make a definite commitment
a coy response
coyly
adverb
coyness
noun
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.
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
Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
But the film plays so coy with its backstory, offering it in dribs and drabs, that its initial emotional tension soon turns vaporous and phony.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Brown, perhaps being a little coy, was not as forthcoming.
—Connor Ennis, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
With one year left on his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, James has been cagey — arguably coy — over his future plans.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coy
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Adjective
Witherspoon plays it a bit more coy.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
But the film plays so coy with its backstory, offering it in dribs and drabs, that its initial emotional tension soon turns vaporous and phony.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
Brown, perhaps being a little coy, was not as forthcoming.
—Connor Ennis, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
With one year left on his deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, James has been cagey — arguably coy — over his future plans.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coy
Cite this Entry
“Coy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coy. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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