coquettish

American  

[koh-ket-ish] / koʊˈkɛt ɪʃ /

adjective

1. (of a woman) characteristically flirtatious, especially in a teasing, lighthearted manner.

---

Other Word Forms

• coquettishly adverb
• coquettishness noun
• uncoquettish adjective
• uncoquettishly adverb
• uncoquettishness noun

Etymology

Origin of coquettish

First recorded in 1685–95; coquett(e) ( def. ) + -ish ¹ ( def. )

Example Sentences

More damagingly, it doesn’t seem as if Hnath’s Nora has evolved all that much from the skittishly coquettish wife of Ibsen’s play.

From Los Angeles Times

And Burns nearly steals the second act in her brief solo, “Memory,” a coquettish dream of past flames.

From New York Times

Shy, bold, coquettish or mocking, a woman’s smile is richly signifying, something that Wilde, an actress turned director, certainly knows.

From New York Times

I had learnt her whole character, which was without mystery or disguise: she was coquettish but not heartless; exacting, but not worthlessly selfish.

From Literature

He captures her coquettish coyness without caricaturing it.

From New York Times