Meaning & use

coyly

adverb·Advanced

In a shy, playfully modest, or falsely reluctant manner, often to appear charming.

See it in a sentence

She coyly glanced away and avoided answering whether she had a boyfriend at all.

He coyly hinted that he had a surprise planned but refused to say more.

A note on using this word

Coyly often implies a flirtatious or teasing kind of shyness, not genuine timidity.

Words with a similar meaning

shylybashfully

Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.

Words with an opposite meaning

boldlybrazenly

Make it your own

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