coy
adjective
[ kɔɪ ]
• (especially with reference to a woman) making a pretence of shyness or modesty which is intended to be alluring.
• "she treated him to a coy smile of invitation"
Similar:
arch,
simpering,
coquettish,
flirtatious,
kittenish,
skittish,
shy,
modest,
bashful,
reticent,
diffident,
retiring,
backward,
self-effacing,
shrinking,
withdrawn,
timid,
demure,
• reluctant to give details about something regarded as sensitive.
• "he is coy about his age"
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French coi, quei, from Latin quietus (see quiet). The original sense was ‘quiet, still’ (especially in behaviour), later ‘modestly retiring’, and hence (of a woman) ‘affecting to be unresponsive to advances’.
Coy
abbreviation
• Company.
