coyly


Also found in: Thesaurus.

coy

 (koi)
adj. coy·er, coy·est
1.
a. Affectedly and often flirtatiously shy or modest: "I pictured myself as some sylvan deity, and she a coy wood nymph of whom I was in pursuit" (Washington Irving).
b. Characterized by or suggesting such shyness or modesty: "How absurd I must have looked standing there before him ... a coy little simper on my foolish young face" (Jane Avrich).
2. Unwilling to make a commitment or divulge information: "As a child, when I asked my mother her age she was coy and evasive" (Lynne Sharon Schwartz).
3. Tending to avoid people and social situations; reserved: "The children were staring up at him, too coy to question him and too curious not to stare" (Edwidge Danticat).

[Middle English, from Old French quei, coi, quiet, still, from Vulgar Latin *quētus, from Latin quiētus, past participle of quiēscere, to rest; see kweiə- in Indo-European roots.]

coy′ly adv.
coy′ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Adv.1.coyly - in a coy manner; "she pouted and looked at him coyly"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
Translations
بِخَجَـل
ostýchavě
koket
feimnislega
hanblivo
utangaç bir şekilde

coyly

[ˈkɔɪlɪ] ADV
1. (= demurely) → tímidamente (pej) (= coquettishly) → con coquetería
2. (= evasively) → con evasivas
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

coyly

[ˈkɔɪli] adv
(= coquettishly) [smile] → avec coquetterie
(= euphemistically) [say, describe] → euphémiquement
(= evasively) [refuse, explain, answer] → évasivement
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

coyly

adv (= shyly) smile, lookschüchtern, verschämt; (= evasively) say, answer, refuseausweichend
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

coyly

[ˈkɔɪlɪ] adv (smile) → con falsa timidezza; (answer) → evasivamente; (coquettishly) → con civetteria
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

coy

(koi) adjective
(pretending to be) shy. She gave her brother's friend a coy smile.
ˈcoyly adverb
ˈcoyness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
"Yes, after the black tulip," sighed Rosa, who at last no longer coyly withdrew her warm hands from the grating, as Cornelius most affectionately kissed them.
And he measured her in a careless way, and knew, bold now, that she would begin to retreat, coyly and delicately, as he pursued, ever ready to reverse the game should he turn fainthearted.
He tried to sniff noses with her, but she retreated playfully and coyly. Every advance on his part was accompanied by a corresponding retreat on her part.
He soon returned, bearing the same in a fresh cabbage-leaf, where it coyly embraced a rasher of ham.
'Dost thou not know the meaning of the walnut -- priest?' she said coyly, and handed him the half-shells.
The young lady, who had been coyly affecting not to know that a gentleman was so near, turned round as Sam spoke--no doubt (indeed she said so, afterwards) to decline this offer from a perfect stranger--when instead of speaking, she started back, and uttered a half-suppressed scream.
When Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Ali walked up to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and coyly asked to hold his hand, she melted hearts in both countries.
While coyly skirting around her private life, Jett talks us through her career as part of the all-girl glam rock group The Runaways, and later as singer of her own group The Blackhearts.
The minaudiere - the word means to simper or smile coyly - was born, named after Alfred Van Cleef's wife, Estelle, whose coquettish character her followers found enchanting.
2 Naomi Campbell gave a shout out to her rumoured boyfriend Skepta from the stage while presenting an award, but spoke coyly about who she spent her evening with.
Loose Women host Andrea McLean put him on the spot about it yesterday and he pulled a face and said coyly: "Never say never."
He then coyly asked if "Katherine" would like to take a spot-kick, but the Duchess, in heels and wearing a blue Erdem coat, politely declined.