coyly
Americanadverb
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in a hesitant or indirect manner.
The painting shows an eighteenth-century lady flirting with a coyly blushing young knight.
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in a shy or modest manner.
She read the note and thanked him coyly.
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in a way that shows usually insincere or affected reluctance.
When asked about the movie, she coyly replied, "It's a big secret; I’m not going to tell anybody."
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of coyly
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an astute student of both politics and pop culture, has coyly alluded to the wedding chatter during press conferences.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
Williams coyly responded when told that a slot remained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
At that awards show, when former Times columnist Amy Kaufman — then recently engaged herself — asked the “Dune” actor flat-out if she was engaged, Zendaya flashed her ring, smiled coyly and shrugged her shoulders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 2, 2026
But on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, Daniels implied the signature wasn’t hers and coyly answered questions about the allegations.
From BBC ● May 2, 2024
The yellow canine thus coyly revealed was as long as my longest finger.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
