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
Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
When are Snack Wraps coming back to McDonald's? McDonald's is being coy about revealing when Snack Wraps will return.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Again, the younger James offers a simple yet coy response.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Artist and designer Cecil Beaton performed a coy fashion magazine pose in full drag, his slender form crowned by an enormous picture hat that transforms him into something approaching a human flower, photographed by the duo David James Scott and Edgar Wilkinson.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for coy
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Adjective
While Feig remained coy, the audience's fervent response suggested the appetite for a third installment is real.
—Ana Gutierrez, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
When are Snack Wraps coming back to McDonald's? McDonald's is being coy about revealing when Snack Wraps will return.
—Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Again, the younger James offers a simple yet coy response.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 July 2025
Artist and designer Cecil Beaton performed a coy fashion magazine pose in full drag, his slender form crowned by an enormous picture hat that transforms him into something approaching a human flower, photographed by the duo David James Scott and Edgar Wilkinson.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 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 21 Jul. 2025.
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