coy

C2+ Topic:Describing Qualities

US /kɔɪ/ UK /kɔɪ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

adj
shyly or affectedly reticent, especially about giving information

She was coy about who had sent the lavish bouquet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 adj · shyly or affectedly... shy demure bashful reticent modest evasive reserved

Opposites

bold forward brazen forthcoming candid

Word family

Forms coylycoyness

Derived forms coylycoyness

Related forms quiet quiescent

Simplified etymology

Coy entered Middle English through French coi, meaning “quiet,” and ultimately goes back to Latin quietus, “quiet.”

Etymology

From Old French 'coi', earlier 'quei' ('quiet, still'), from Latin 'quietus' ('at rest, quiet'). The sense shifted from 'quiet' to 'shyly reticent'.

coi Old French quietus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Describing Qualities

External links

# coy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** adj
**IPA (US):** /kɔɪ/
**IPA (UK):** /kɔɪ/

## Meanings
1. shyly or affectedly reticent, especially about giving information

## Examples
- She was coy about who had sent the lavish bouquet.

## Synonyms
- shy
- demure
- bashful
- reticent
- modest
- evasive
- reserved

## Antonyms
- bold
- forward
- brazen
- forthcoming
- candid

## Derived Forms
- coyly
- coyness

## Related Forms
- quiet
- quiescent

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: coi
- Root: quietus

## Etymology
From Old French 'coi', earlier 'quei' ('quiet, still'), from Latin 'quietus' ('at rest, quiet'). The sense shifted from 'quiet' to 'shyly reticent'.

## AI Etymology
Coy is from Old French 'coi', earlier 'quei' ('quiet, still'), from Latin 'quietus' ('at rest, quiet'). The sense shifted from 'quiet' to 'shyly reticent'. The ancestry passes through Old French coi and Latin quietus. In present use as an adjective, it means "shyly or affectedly reticent, especially about giving information", keeping the historical formation close to the word's ordinary semantic work. Related words include quiet and quiescent; derived forms include coyly and coyness. Its contrast set includes bold, forward, brazen, and forthcoming, which clarifies the semantic boundary of the modern word.

## Topics
- Describing Qualities

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coy