coquette
/kou'ket/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- A seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men: A person, typically a woman, who habitually flirts with others to gain attention or admiration, often without sincere romantic interest.
- (Ornithology) A hummingbird: A specific type of small, colorful bird known for its rapid wing movement.
Verb (intransitive):
- To behave amorously or flirtatiously without serious intentions: To act in a playful, teasing, or enticing manner towards someone, often for amusement or attention rather than with genuine romantic commitment.
Usage Examples
Noun:
- She was known as a coquette, charming every man at the party but never committing to any.
- The coquette, a tiny bird, hovered near the flower.
Verb:
- He would often coquette with the waitresses, enjoying the lighthearted banter.
- She coquetted with the idea of accepting his invitation but ultimately declined.
Advanced Usage
- "to play the coquette": To adopt the role or behavior of a coquette.
- At the ball, she decided to play the coquette, delighting in the attention it brought her.
Variants and Related Words
- Coquetry (noun): The act or practice of flirting; flirtatious behavior.
- Her coquetry was both admired and criticized by her peers.
- Coquettish (adjective): Characteristic of a coquette; flirtatious.
- She gave him a coquettish smile from across the room.
Synonyms
- Noun: Flirt, tease, heartbreaker, vamp.
- Verb: Flirt, dally, trifle, philander.
Related Phrases
- "To coquet with danger": To behave in a way that flirtatiously or playfully engages with a risky situation (an idiomatic extension).
- By investing all his savings, he was coquetting with financial disaster.
Noun
- a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men
Verb
- talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions
- The guys always try to chat up the new secretaries
- My husband never flirts with other women