Meanings
verbplay hard to get (third-person singular simple present plays hard to get, present participle playing hard to get, simple past and past participle played hard to get)
present singular third person plays hard to get · participle present playing hard to get · participle past played hard to get · past played hard to get
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 欲擒故縱 /欲擒故纵, 故作矜持
- 欲擒故縱 /欲擒故纵 (yùqíngùzòng)to be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- 故作矜持 (gùzuò jīnchí)to be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
Finnish esittää vaikeasti tavoiteltavaa
- esittää vaikeasti tavoiteltavaato be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
French se faire désirer, faire durer le plaisir
- se faire désirerto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- faire durer le plaisirto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
Polish zgrywać osobę niedostępną, udawać niedostępną
- zgrywać osobę niedostępnąto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- udawać niedostępnąto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- udawać niedostępnegoto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
Portuguese fazer de difícil, fazer cu-doce
- fazer de difícilto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- fazer cu-doceto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
Spanish hacerse del rogar, hacerse de rogar
- hacerse del rogarto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- hacerse de rogarto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- hacerse rogarto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- hacerse el difícilto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
- hacerse la difícilto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
Swedish spela svår
- spela svårto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
Tagalog magdayuray
- magdayurayto be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
Thai เล่นตัว
- เล่นตัว (lên-dtuua)to be coy; to feign lack of romantic interest in a certain person, so as to force that person to be more overt in expressing interest
Cite this entry
APA
play hard to get. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20hard%20to%20get
MLA
“play hard to get.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20hard%20to%20get. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “play hard to get,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20hard%20to%20get.
Source: play hard to get on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.