coyness
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:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | coyness - the affectation of being demure in a provocative way affectedness - the quality of being false or artificial (as to impress others) |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
coyness
noun shyness, reserve, modesty, timidity, affectation, diffidence, prudery, evasiveness, prudishness, bashfulness, skittishness, primness, archness, prissiness (informal), coquettishness, demureness She discusses sexual matters without a trace of coyness.
Quotations
"Had we but world enough, and time"
"This coyness, lady, were no crime" [Andrew Marvell To his Coy Mistress]
"Had we but world enough, and time"
"This coyness, lady, were no crime" [Andrew Marvell To his Coy Mistress]
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
coyness
nounAn awkwardness or lack of self-confidence in the presence of others:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
خَجَل، حَياء
ostýchavost
blyhedkokethed
feimni
hanblivosť
utangaçlık
coyness
[ˈkɔɪnɪs] N1. (= demureness) → timidez f (pej) (= coquettishness) → coquetería f
2. (= evasiveness) → evasivas fpl, reticencias fpl
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
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
coyness
n (= shyness) → Verschämtheit f; (= coquettishness) → neckisches or kokettes Benehmen; (= evasiveness) → ausweichende Haltung
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
coyness
[ˈkɔɪnɪs] n (affected shyness) → falsa timidezza; (evasiveness) → evasività; (coquetry) → civetteriaCollins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
coy
(koi) adjective (pretending to be) shy. She gave her brother's friend a coy smile.
ˈcoyly adverbˈcoyness noun
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.