Adjacent Words

Coy definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COY, a. Modest; silent; reserved; not accessible; shy; not easily condescending to familiarity.
Like Daphne she, as lovely and as coy.
COY, v.i.
1. To behave with reserve; to be silent or distant; to refrain from speech or free intercourse.
2. To make difficulty; to be backward or unwilling; not freely to condescend.
3. To smooth or stroke.
COY, for decoy, to allure. [Not in use.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative way [syn: coy, demure, overmodest]
2: showing marked and often playful or irritating evasiveness or reluctance to make a definite or committing statement; "a politician coy about his intentions"
3: modestly or warily rejecting approaches or overtures; "like a wild young colt, very inquisitive but very coy and not to be easily cajoled"

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, quiet, shy, from Anglo-French quoi, quei, koi quiet, from Latin quietus Date: 14th century 1. a. shrinking from contact or familiarity <'tis but a kiss I beg, Why art thou coy? — Shakespeare> b. marked by cute, coquettish, or artful playfulness <using coy tricks to attract attention> 2. showing reluctance to make a definite commitment <a coy response> Synonyms: see shy • coyly adverb • coyness noun II. verb Date: 14th century transitive verb obsolete caress intransitive verb archaic to act coyly

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. (coyer, coyest) 1 archly or affectedly shy. 2 irritatingly reticent (always coy about her age). 3 (esp. of a girl) modest or shy. Derivatives: coyly adv. coyness n. Etymology: ME f. OF coi, quei f. L quietus QUIET

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Coy Coy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Coyed (koid); p. pr. & vb. n. Coying.] 1. To allure; to entice; to decoy. [Obs.] A wiser generation, who have the art to coy the fonder sort into their nets. --Bp. Rainbow. 2. To caress with the hand; to stroke. Come sit thee down upon this flowery bed, While I thy amiable cheeks do coy. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Coy Coy, v. i. 1. To behave with reserve or coyness; to shrink from approach or familiarity. [Obs.] Thus to coy it, With one who knows you too! --Rowe. 2. To make difficulty; to be unwilling. [Obs.] If he coyed To hear Cominius speak, I 'll keep at home. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Coy Coy (koi), a. [OE. coi quiet, still, OF. coi, coit, fr.L. quietus quiet, p. p. of quiescere to rest, quie rest; prob. akin to E. while. See While, and cf. Quiet, Quit, Quite.] 1. Quiet; still. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 2. Shrinking from approach or familiarity; reserved; bashful; shy; modest; -- usually applied to women, sometimes with an implication of coquetry. Coy, and difficult to win. --Cowper. Coy and furtive graces. --W. Irving. Nor the coy maid, half willings to be pressed, Shall kiss the cup, to pass it to the rest. --Goldsmith. 3. Soft; gentle; hesitating. Enforced hate, Instead of love's coy touch, shall rudely tear thee. --Shak. Syn: Shy; shriking; reserved; modest; bashful; backward; distant.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. A coy person is shy, or pretends to be shy, about love and sex. She is modest without being coy... ADJ • coyly She smiled coyly at Algie as he took her hand and raised it to his lips. ADV: ADV with v 2. If someone is being coy, they are unwilling to talk about something that they feel guilty or embarrassed about. Mr Alexander is not the slightest bit coy about his ambitions. = reticent ADJ: usu v-link ADJ, oft ADJ about n • coyly The administration coyly refused to put a firm figure on the war's costs. ADV: ADV with v

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Modest, diffident, shy, shrinking, timid, bashful, reserved, distant, demure.

Moby Thesaurus

amative, amatory, arch, bashful, capricious, caressive, confused, conscious, coquettish, decent, decorous, demure, diffident, flirtatious, flirty, inarticulate, kittenish, lively, mischievous, mousy, nice, playful, proper, rabbity, retiring, roguish, seemly, self-conscious, self-effacing, sexual, shamefaced, shamefast, shy, skittish, stammering, timid, timorous, unassertive, unassured