"coy" means intentionally keeping things secret.

[GoodTaste]

As I read a Science article - "but researchers were coy about describing the exact number...", I asked myself "What is coy?" and replied with "coy means intentionally keeping things secret."

It turns out that Cambridge Dictionary defines "coy" as "intentionally keeping something secret."

The question here is whether my definition is acceptable.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

That definition doesn't satisfy me at all. Being coy is more ingenuous (or cute) than being secretive.

I also don't like that use of intentionally. If it's not intentional, it's not a secret. It's an omission.

 

[Tdol]

To me, coy means you don't want to tell- spies aren't coy; they will keep secrets and lie.

 

[GoesStation]

I'd go a little further and say that coy means keeping something secret while making it clear that you know it.