coquet

1 of 3

noun

co·​quet

1

kō-ˈket 

-ˈkā

: a man who indulges in coquetry

2

kō-ˈket  : coquette

coquet

2 of 3

adjective

co·​quet kō-ˈket 

: characteristic of a coquette : coquettish

coquet

3 of 3

verb

co·​quet kō-ˈket 

variants or coquette

coquetted; coquetting

intransitive verb

1

: to play the coquette : flirt

She coquetted with the solid husbands of her friends …

—Dorothy Parker

2

: to deal with something playfully rather than seriously

We have coquetted with a serious matter.

Synonyms

Verb

• dally
• flirt
• frivol
• mess around
• toy
• trifle

Choose the Right Synonym for coquet

trifle, toy, dally, flirt, coquet mean to deal with or act toward without serious purpose.

trifle may imply playfulness, unconcern, indulgent contempt.

to trifle with a lover's feelings

toy implies acting without full attention or serious exertion of one's powers.

a political novice toying with great issues

dally suggests indulging in thoughts or plans merely as an amusement.

dallying with the idea of building a boat someday

flirt implies an interest or attention that soon passes to another object.

flirted with one fashionable ism after another

coquet implies attracting interest or admiration without serious intention.

companies that coquet with environmentalism solely for public relations

Examples of coquet in a Sentence

Verb

a group of college students coquetting with each other at the beach

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, diminutive of coq cock

First Known Use

Noun

1691, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1697, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 1