Coy – 1.Pretends to be shy. 2. Unwilling to talk about something

To remember the definition of the word coy, use the following mnemonic:

The koi (coy) fish always pretends to be shy but it is button-lipped, unwilling to talk about why.

Examples of coy in a sentence (pretending to be shy)

The unpopular boy wore a coy grin on his face when he approached the cheerleader.

Ginger batted her eyes in a coy manner.

She liked him, but she was being coy.

Examples of coy in a sentence (unwilling to talk about something)

Daniel asked about her new hairstyle, but mary was being coy.

The prom queen was coy about her reasons for arriving in a helicopter.

Everybody wanted to know Amy's gossip, but she was coy.