Coquettish
adjective /kɒˈketɪʃ/ — Playfully flirtatious without giving anything away.
Definition
Behaving in a flirtatious way; playfully alluring while maintaining an element of mystery and withholding.
Beyond the definition
Coquettish describes a very specific performance of attraction — not direct, not indifferent, but playfully between. The coquettish person keeps you uncertain in an enjoyable way. It's a social art form.
Origin & history
From French coquette — diminutive of coq 'rooster.' The rooster's display behaviour applied to flirtatious human interaction.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Her coquettish manner was so well-practised it seemed unconscious — which made it more effective.
There was nothing coquettish about her — she believed in being direct, for better and worse.
Coquettish energy works by maintaining just enough uncertainty to be interesting.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Coquettish” when the meaning fits your context: Behaving in a flirtatious way; playfully alluring while maintaining an element of mystery and withholding.
Synonyms
flirtatious, playful, teasing, alluring, provocative
Antonyms
direct, forward, indifferent
Related words
Coquettish vs flirtatious
Coquettish is specifically used to describe a playful, teasing style of flirtation, often involving feigned interest. Flirtatious is a general term for any act intended to show romantic or sexual interest.
Word in the Wild
Illustrative story: an imagined scene, not a documented event or interview.
She was aware of the effect she had. She'd been aware of it for twenty years. It wasn't manipulation — nothing was said that was untrue — it was more like a particular frequency of attention that she turned on and off with the ease of long practice.
A look held a beat longer than necessary. A question asked with more interest than the subject warranted.
Nobody was deceived. Everyone was slightly more awake. That, she had decided long ago, was the whole point.
Questions about this word
What does "Coquettish" mean?
Coquettish is adjective meaning: Playfully flirtatious without giving anything away.. Behaving in a flirtatious way; playfully alluring while maintaining an element of mystery and withholding.
Which words express “playful flirting that keeps them guessing”?
Coquettish — Playfully flirtatious without giving anything away.
Where does the word "Coquettish" come from?
From French coquette — diminutive of coq 'rooster.' The rooster's display behaviour applied to flirtatious human interaction.