coquette

noun

co·​quette kō-ˈket 

plural coquettes

1

: a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men

… the book brought to mind a true Southern coquette, flashy and sweet and alluring all at the same time.

—Tina Jordan

2

: any of several small, tropical American hummingbirds (genus Lophornis) with the males typically having a colorful or ornate tuft of feathers on the head

… the rufous-crested coquette, a tiny hummingbird (with a red mohawk "hair-do") that was just as … flirty as its name.

—Thelma Dalmas

But the tiniest of these hummers was the one that elicited the most excitement: a festive coquette, an extremely rare green-crested bird with a white rump patch, only 3 inches long.

—James F. McCarty

coquettish

kō-ˈke-tish 

adjective

coquettishly adverb

coquettishness noun

Examples of coquette in a Sentence

She was a bit of a coquette.

Recent Examples on the Web

Swim Week solidified the coquette swim trend as one to watch for the next couple of summers. —Victoria Montalti, refinery29.com, 4 June 2024

The coquette trend is here to stay, according to Taylor Swift. —Hannah Malach, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019

Her black high-neck shrug and wide-leg pants complete what feels like an elegant, subtly goth look with a coquette twist. —Marci Robin, Allure, 27 Dec. 2024

If coquette ribbons aren’t your speed, consider a bejeweled headband instead. —Kiana Murden, Vogue, 25 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, feminine of coquet — see coquet entry 1

First Known Use

circa 1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

coquette

noun

co·​quette kō-ˈket 

: a woman who tries without sincere affection to gain the attention and admiration of men : flirt

coquettish

-ˈket-ish 

adjective

coquettishly adverb

coquettishness noun