coyly

[koi-lee]

adverb

1. in a hesitant or indirect manner.

   The painting shows an eighteenth-century lady flirting with a coyly blushing young knight.

2. in a shy or modest manner.

   She read the note and thanked him coyly.

3. 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

• overcoyly adverb
• uncoyly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of coyly¹

coy ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Asked about the number of different variations for driven line-outs England have in their arsenal, Deacon replies coyly "a lot".

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The pair look at each other coyly, nervously giggling - there has been no announcement of Colman being involved in the films.

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The title wraps itself coyly around its three tennis-star lead characters, aptly describing the personal and professional entanglements to come.

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He also hinted, coyly, that he might beat the Democrats “for a third time” in 2024.

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Then a smirking Trump coyly admits what a bad boy he is and repeats his slurs and slights — but even worse.

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