COY Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the adjective 'coy' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of coy are bashful , diffident , modest , and shy . While all these words mean "not inclined to be forward," coy implies a pretended shyness. // put off by her coy manner

Q: Where would 'bashful' be a reasonable alternative to 'coy'?

While in some cases nearly identical to coy , bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence. // a bashful boy out on his first date

Q: When would 'diffident' be a good substitute for 'coy'?

While the synonyms diffident and coy are close in meaning, diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking. // felt diffident about raising an objection

Q: When is it sensible to use 'modest' instead of 'coy'?

The meanings of modest and coy largely overlap; however, modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit. // modest about her success

Q: When could 'shy' be used to replace 'coy'?

In some situations, the words shy and coy are roughly equivalent. However, shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others. // shy with strangers

coy

adjective

ˈkȯi

Definition of coy next

as in coquettish

affecting shyness or modesty in order to attract masculine interest not wanting him to know that she was interested in him, she acted very coy at the dance

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

uncoy

as in shy

not comfortable around people a coy toddler who hides whenever anyone comes to the house

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective coy contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of coy are bashful, diffident, modest, and shy. While all these words mean "not inclined to be forward," coy implies a pretended shyness.

put off by her coy manner

Where would bashful be a reasonable alternative to coy?

While in some cases nearly identical to coy, bashful implies a frightened or hesitant shyness characteristic of childhood and adolescence.

a bashful boy out on his first date

When would diffident be a good substitute for coy?

While the synonyms diffident and coy are close in meaning, diffident stresses a distrust of one's own ability or opinion that causes hesitation in acting or speaking.

felt diffident about raising an objection

When is it sensible to use modest instead of coy?

The meanings of modest and coy largely overlap; however, modest suggests absence of undue confidence or conceit.

modest about her success

When could shy be used to replace coy?

In some situations, the words shy and coy are roughly equivalent. However, shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.

shy with strangers

Examples of coy in a Sentence

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Recent Examples on the Web Isaacman then hopes to launch a second Polaris Dawn mission on Crew Dragon in the coming years, possibly a mission to boost NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope—although Isaacman was coy about that prospect, and NASA has not yet given its approval. —

Jonathan O’Callaghan, WIRED, 10 Sep. 2024 Zwift is being unusually coy about this one, though. —

Andrew Williams, Forbes, 4 Sep. 2024 After nearly two years of remaining coy about romance rumors with Morgan Wallen, Megan Moroney is clearing the air. —

Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 31 July 2024 O’Connell was coy about whether Minnesota will look to add another quarterback to the mix with McCarthy sidelined. —

Ben Morse, CNN, 14 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for coy

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coy

Adjective

Jennifer Love Hewitt isn't shy about her love of holidays—and not just the winter ones.

Marci Robin, Allure, 24 Oct. 2024
The couple made their red carpet debut at Vanity Fair's Oscar party in March 2024, and Sampaio isn't shy about sharing their love on social media.

Samantha Stutsman, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024