Shy, bashful, diffident, modest, coy mean not inclined to be forward Not telling or revealing all the information that could be revealed often + about Shy implies a timid reserve and a shrinking from familiarity or contact with others.
(especially of women) being or pretending to be shy… Having a shy or sweetly innocent quality that is often intended to be attractive or to get attention Artfully or affectedly shy or reserved
If someone is being coy, they are unwilling to talk about something that they feel guilty or embarrassed about The hotel are understandably coy about the incident. Take the adjective coy for a person who pretends to be shy but really isn't, or someone who could give a definite answer but won't Coy behavior can be playful or just plain annoying.
Definition of coy adjective in oxford advanced learner's dictionary Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more. There are 16 meanings listed in oed's entry for the word coy, eight of which are labelled obsolete See ‘meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
The mayor was coy about his future political aspirations. From middle english coy, from old french coi, earlier quei (“quiet, still”), from latin qu (i)ētus (“resting, at rest”) Doublet of quit, quiet, quite and quietus.
