coyness (noun)

  • 1coyness — coy ► ADJECTIVE (coyer, coyest) 1) pretending shyness or modesty. 2) reluctant to give details about something sensitive: he s coy about his age. DERIVATIVES coyly adverb coyness noun. ORIGIN Old French coi, from Latin …

    English terms dictionary

  • 2coyness — noun see coy I …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 3coyness — noun The property of being coy …

    Wiktionary

  • 4coyness — noun the affectation of being demure in a provocative way (Freq. 2) • Syn: ↑demureness • Derivationally related forms: ↑demure (for: ↑demureness), ↑coy • Hyper …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 5coyness — (Roget s Thesaurus II) noun An awkwardness or lack of self confidence in the presence of others: backwardness, bashfulness, retiringness, shyness, timidity, timidness. See RESTRAINT …

    English dictionary for students

  • 6coy — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English, quiet, shy, from Anglo French quoi, quei, koi quiet, from Latin quietus Date: 14th century 1. a. shrinking from contact or familiarity < tis but a kiss I beg, Why art thou coy? Shakespeare > b. marked by&#8230; …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 7coy — adjective (coyer, coyest) pretending shyness or modesty. ↘reluctant to give details about something sensitive. Derivatives coyly adverb coyness noun Origin ME (in the sense quiet, still ): from OFr. coi, quei, from L. quietus (see quiet) …

    English new terms dictionary

  • 8coy — adjective 1 pretending to be shy in order to attract interest, or to avoid dealing with something difficult: She gave him a coy smile. 2 unwilling to give information about something (+ about): Tania was always coy about her age. coyly adverb&#8230; …

    Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • 9coy — /kɔɪ / (say koy) adjective 1. shy; modest. 2. affectedly shy or reserved. 3. Obsolete disdainful. 4. Obsolete quiet. {Middle English, from French coi, earlier quei, from Latin quiētus at rest} –coyly, adverb –coyness, noun …

  • 10coy — ► ADJECTIVE (coyer, coyest) 1) pretending shyness or modesty. 2) reluctant to give details about something sensitive: he s coy about his age. DERIVATIVES coyly adverb coyness noun. ORIGIN Old French coi, from Latin …

    English terms dictionary