coy
Other forms: coyer; coyest
Take the adjective coy for a person who pretends to be shy but really isn't, or someone who could give a definite answer but won't. Coy behavior can be playful or just plain annoying.
Originally meaning "quiet and shy," today someone who is coy pretends to be shy in a playful manner — often as a form of flirting. If a politician is coy about something, he or she only gives vague statements on an issue for fear of committing to a position or angering his or her constituency. Common to both of these senses is the fact that a person uses coyness to subtly manipulate his or her audience.
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affectedly modest or shy especially in a playful or provocative waysynonyms: demure, overmodestmodestnot offensive to sexual mores in conduct or appearance
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showing marked and often playful or irritating evasiveness or reluctance to make a definite or committing statement“a politician coy about his intentions”synonyms:indefinitevague or not clearly defined or stated
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modestly or warily rejecting approaches or overtures“like a wild young colt, very inquisitive but very coy and not to be easily cajoled”synonyms:timidshowing fear and lack of confidence
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Vocabulary lists containing coy
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"To His Coy Mistress" is an example of a carpe diem poem, a poem that encourages someone to live to the fullest because life is short. Here, the speaker encourages his beloved to give in to his romantic overtures. Read the poem here.
A series of linked stories explores the lifelong effects of trauma on a platoon of soldiers during and after the Vietnam War.