coquette

American  

[koh-ket] / koʊˈkɛt /

noun

1. a woman who flirts lightheartedly with men to win their admiration and affection; flirt.

   Synonyms:

   vamp, tease

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verb (used without object)

1. to coquet.

coquette British  

/ kɒˈkɛt, kəʊˈkɛt /

noun

1. a woman who flirts

2. any hummingbird of the genus Lophornis, esp the crested Brazilian species L. magnifica

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Gender

What's the difference between coquette and coquet? See -ette.

Other Word Forms

• coquettish adjective
• coquettishly adverb
• coquettishness noun

Etymology

Origin of coquette

First recorded in 1605–15; from French, feminine of coquet

Example Sentences

The powerful, complex female lead was a rarity in traditional music theatre, where operatic tropes were easily assimilated, such as the virginal naif, the coquette, the old shrew.

From Salon

Corrin immediately achieves a balance between the coquette and energetic idealist we picture Diana to be, and her performance invites the viewer into the Princess's interiority almost immediately.

From Salon

Sexy did not mean revealing skin or playing the part of the coquette.

From Washington Post

As that awesome wordsmith Plutarch pointed out — “It was by this device of Cleopatra’s that Caesar was first captivated, for she showed herself to be a bold coquette.”

From Seattle Times

Joshua Barone said in The New York Times of her Manon that “with a voice by turns brightly crystalline and arrestingly powerful, she persuasively inhabits the role of this chameleon coquette.”

From Washington Times