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.
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
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Hidden garden anticipation
An adult stands in the shadowed corner of a moonlit garden, waiting with an expectant, slightly reserved posture.
The mix of shadow and anticipation suggests a playfully alluring, withholding manner. This captures the essence of a coquettish bearing, where mystery and desire are held back to pique interest without fully revealing one's own intent.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration