tricky

adjective

ˈtri-kē How to pronounce tricky (audio)
trickier; trickiest
Synonyms of trickynext
1
: inclined to or marked by trickery
2
a
: giving a deceptive impression of easiness, simplicity, or order : ticklish
a tricky path through the swamp
b
: trick sense 2
3
: requiring skill, knack, or caution (as in doing or handling) : difficult
a tricky problem
also : ingenious
a tricky rhythm
trickily
ˈtri-kə-lē How to pronounce tricky (audio)
adverb
trickiness
ˈtri-kē-nəs How to pronounce tricky (audio)
noun

Synonyms of tricky

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sly, cunning, crafty, wily, tricky, foxy, artful, slick mean attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means.

sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

Examples of tricky in a Sentence

The lock is tricky to open. a tricky musical passage for the woodwind section
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Watts played his third shot on the par-5 from 130 yards out to the green, but left himself a difficult length from a tricky part of the putting surface. — Hugh Kellenberger, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 After a tricky circuit in the Netherlands, the F1 paddock arrives at the iconic Autodromo Nazionale Monza circuit this weekend. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026 Building an authoritarian, ultranationalist party that marinates in populist conspiracy theories but that abhors anti-Semitism turns out to be tricky. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 5 Sep. 2026 But since Harvey, then a senior at Oberlin College, was writing for the Oberlin Review, covering football was a rather tricky proposition. — Jesse Dougherty, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tricky

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tricky was in 1786

Rhymes for tricky

See All Rhymes for tricky

Browse Nearby Words

trick work
tricky
triclad
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Cite this Entry

“Tricky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tricky. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

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Kids Definition

tricky

adjective
ˈtrik-ē How to pronounce tricky (audio)
trickier; trickiest
1
: likely to use or characterized by tricks or trickery
2
: requiring skill or caution : difficult
a tricky situation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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