# Word for the Day

 Can be playful or just plain annoying…

coy

 

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.

 

Originally meaning “quiet and shy,” today someone who is coy pretends to be shy in a playful manner — often as a form of flirting. If a politician is coy about something, he or she only gives vague statements on an issue for fear of committing to a position or angering his or her constituency. Common to both of these senses is the fact that a person uses coyness to subtly manipulate his or her audience.

 

Thanks to Vocabulary.com

 

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