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
Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Paris is the coy Daris (Arya Grace Gaston), and the doomed hero Achilles has become the grim-faced Trojan running back Keeley (Erin Treadway, in boxer braids and golden work boots), who refuses to take the field after Johnny utters a fatal insult.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
Those influences are often deliberate — coy and canny reworkings of previous themes and character types, presented again in new guises and winking reflections.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025
The members have been coy about the band’s future—sometimes dousing it with cold water, others alluding to informal meet-ups that may or may not lead to a return to the studio or stage.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coy
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Adjective
Mbatha-Raw and Jackson-Cohen were both coy when asked about Sophie and James’ future.
—Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 20 Apr. 2025
Paris is the coy Daris (Arya Grace Gaston), and the doomed hero Achilles has become the grim-faced Trojan running back Keeley (Erin Treadway, in boxer braids and golden work boots), who refuses to take the field after Johnny utters a fatal insult.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2025
Those influences are often deliberate — coy and canny reworkings of previous themes and character types, presented again in new guises and winking reflections.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 11 Feb. 2025
The members have been coy about the band’s future—sometimes dousing it with cold water, others alluding to informal meet-ups that may or may not lead to a return to the studio or stage.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 13 Mar. 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 25 Apr. 2025.
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