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

Neither man is coy about identifying as an activist. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024

Speaking about getting closer to Savchenko during her time on the show, the model — who split from her husband Billy Haire in May — remained coy but didn’t shy away from praising the dance pro. —Bailey Richards, People.com, 8 Oct. 2024

Coach Justin Wilcox was coy all week about who would start at quarterback, and redshirt sophomore Fernando Mendoza, who started the final eight games a year ago, got the nod. —Jeff Faraudo, The Mercury News, 31 Aug. 2024

While Tomlin chooses to be coy about the decision, here are two reasons why a quarterback change from Fields to Wilson presents boom-or-bust potential for the Steelers’ offense this season. —Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 16 Oct. 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