tricky

adjective

ˈtri-kē

trickier; trickiest

: inclined to or marked by trickery

: giving a deceptive impression of easiness, simplicity, or order : ticklish

a tricky path through the swamp

: trick sense 2

: 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

Example Sentences

The lock is tricky to open. a tricky musical passage for the woodwind section

Recent Examples on the Web The couturier had famously dressed the elder Queen Elizabeth for a state visit to Paris on the eve of war in 1938, a task made tricky by the sudden death of her mother, Lady Glamis.

James Collard, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2022 There is that tricky fact that he wasn’t nominated this year.

Michael Schneider, Variety, 9 Sep. 2022 Though initially tricky to flip the switch from off to on one-handed, our testers could easily change its speed settings by turning a small switch on the side of the device.

Samantha Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2022 What makes his opinions potentially tricky is the fact that Britain has a constitutional monarchy, which is very different from the type of absolute monarchies that wield total, undemocratic political power in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states.

Alexander Smith, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 Once sundress season is over, figuring out how to wear ankle boots can feel tricky.

Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 8 Sep. 2022 Cannon’s ruling could slow down and complicate the government’s criminal probe, particularly if the Justice Department decides to appeal over the unsettled and tricky questions of what executive privilege a former president may have.

Devlin Barrett And Carol D. Leonnig, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2022 In part, that is because the relief market is a tricky place to spend.

Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2022 Cannon’s ruling could slow down and complicate the government’s criminal probe, particularly if the Justice Department decides to appeal over the unsettled and tricky questions of what executive privilege a former president may have.

Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2022 See More

tricky

adjective

as in difficult

requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling a tricky musical passage for the woodwind section

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

difficult
tough
problematic
complicated
sensitive
problematical
problem
sticky
tricksy
hard
thorny
delicate
touchy
complex
knotty
dodgy
nasty
ticklish
serious
painful
hairy
catchy
spiny
troublesome
prickly
intricate
vexing
involved
abstruse
recondite
stubborn
abstract
worrisome
stressful
inconvenient
vexatious
onerous
exhausting
demanding
burdensome
troublous
oppressive
exacting
scabrous
importunate
discommoding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

easy
straightforward
simple
uncomplicated
unproblematic
effortless
painless
undemanding
manageable

as in cunning

clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means he's a tricky one, so be careful when dealing with him

Synonyms & Similar Words

cunning
cute
subtle
deceptive
treacherous
slick
wily
dishonest
fraudulent
designing
beguiling
shrewd
slippery
cagey
crooked
dodgy
crafty
sly
artful
devious
scheming
shady
guileful
foxy
calculating
deceitful
plotting
sneaky
sharp
cagy
astute
unscrupulous
shifty
secret
clandestine
undercover
oblique
covert
serpentine
glib
roundabout
facile
hypocritical
circular
circuitous
underhanded
concealed
knavish
underhand
insinuating
stealthy
surreptitious
insincere
Machiavellian
furtive
backhanded
two-faced
mealy
smooth-tongued
double-dealing
left-handed
mealymouthed
hugger-mugger

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

obvious
simple
straightforward
real
innocent
artless
guileless
plain
open
public
direct
honest
unaffected
natural
forthright
frank
unsophisticated
outspoken
candid
unpretentious
patent
sincere
unconcealed
undesigning
ingenuous
impressionable
unvarnished
childlike
aboveboard
unpretending
simpleminded
unworldly
unstudied
trusting
plainspoken
unforced
trustful

Synonym Chooser

Some common synonyms of tricky are artful, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, and wily. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering.

a tricky political operative

While the synonyms artful and tricky are close in meaning, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness.

elicited the information by artful questioning

While in some cases nearly identical to tricky, crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method.

a crafty lefthander

The words cunning and tricky can be used in similar contexts, but cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing.

the cunning fox avoided the trap

The synonyms foxy and tricky are sometimes interchangeable, but foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing.

a foxy publicity man planting stories

In some situations, the words slick and tricky are roughly equivalent. However, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile.

slick operators selling time-sharing

The words sly and tricky are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods.

a sly corporate raider

The meanings of wily and tricky largely overlap; however, wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering.

the wily fugitive escaped the posse

单词	tricky
释义	tricky adjective ˈtri-kē trickier; trickiest 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 adverb trickiness ˈtri-kē-nəs noun Synonyms catchy delicate difficult dodgy [chiefly British] hairy knotty nasty prickly problematic problematical sensitive spiny sticky thorny ticklish touchy tough tricksy See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences The lock is tricky to open. a tricky musical passage for the woodwind section Recent Examples on the Web The couturier had famously dressed the elder Queen Elizabeth for a state visit to Paris on the eve of war in 1938, a task made tricky by the sudden death of her mother, Lady Glamis. James Collard, Robb Report, 9 Sep. 2022 There is that tricky fact that he wasn’t nominated this year. Michael Schneider, Variety, 9 Sep. 2022 Though initially tricky to flip the switch from off to on one-handed, our testers could easily change its speed settings by turning a small switch on the side of the device. Samantha Jones, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2022 What makes his opinions potentially tricky is the fact that Britain has a constitutional monarchy, which is very different from the type of absolute monarchies that wield total, undemocratic political power in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2022 Once sundress season is over, figuring out how to wear ankle boots can feel tricky. Hannah Oh, Seventeen, 8 Sep. 2022 Cannon’s ruling could slow down and complicate the government’s criminal probe, particularly if the Justice Department decides to appeal over the unsettled and tricky questions of what executive privilege a former president may have. Devlin Barrett And Carol D. Leonnig, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2022 In part, that is because the relief market is a tricky place to spend. Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2022 Cannon’s ruling could slow down and complicate the government’s criminal probe, particularly if the Justice Department decides to appeal over the unsettled and tricky questions of what executive privilege a former president may have. Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2022 See More Word History First Known Use 1786, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Kids Definition tricky adjective ˈtri-kē trickier; trickiest 1 : requiring special care and skill Opening the lock is tricky. 2 : likely to use tricks tricky adjective 1 as in difficult requiring exceptional skill or caution in performance or handling a tricky musical passage for the woodwind section Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance difficult tough problematic complicated sensitive problematical problem sticky tricksy hard thorny delicate touchy complex knotty dodgy nasty ticklish serious painful hairy catchy spiny troublesome prickly intricate vexing involved abstruse recondite stubborn abstract worrisome stressful inconvenient vexatious onerous exhausting demanding burdensome troublous oppressive exacting scabrous importunate discommoding Antonyms & Near Antonyms easy straightforward simple uncomplicated unproblematic effortless painless undemanding manageable See More 2 as in cunning clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means he's a tricky one, so be careful when dealing with him Synonyms & Similar Words cunning cute subtle deceptive treacherous slick wily dishonest fraudulent designing beguiling shrewd slippery cagey crooked dodgy crafty sly artful devious scheming shady guileful foxy calculating deceitful plotting sneaky sharp cagy astute unscrupulous shifty secret clandestine undercover oblique covert serpentine glib roundabout facile hypocritical circular circuitous underhanded concealed knavish underhand insinuating stealthy surreptitious insincere Machiavellian furtive backhanded two-faced mealy smooth-tongued double-dealing left-handed mealymouthed hugger-mugger Antonyms & Near Antonyms obvious simple straightforward real innocent artless guileless plain open public direct honest unaffected natural forthright frank unsophisticated outspoken candid unpretentious patent sincere unconcealed undesigning ingenuous impressionable unvarnished childlike aboveboard unpretending simpleminded unworldly unstudied trusting plainspoken unforced trustful See More Synonym Chooser Some common synonyms of tricky are artful, crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, and wily. While all these words mean "attaining or seeking to attain one's ends by guileful or devious means," tricky is more likely to suggest shiftiness and unreliability than skill in deception and maneuvering. a tricky political operative While the synonyms artful and tricky are close in meaning, artful implies indirectness in dealing and often connotes sophistication or cleverness. elicited the information by artful questioning While in some cases nearly identical to tricky, crafty implies cleverness and subtlety of method. a crafty lefthander The words cunning and tricky can be used in similar contexts, but cunning suggests the inventive use of sometimes limited intelligence in overreaching or circumventing. the cunning fox avoided the trap The synonyms foxy and tricky are sometimes interchangeable, but foxy implies a shrewd and wary craftiness usually involving devious dealing. a foxy publicity man planting stories In some situations, the words slick and tricky are roughly equivalent. However, slick emphasizes smoothness and guile. slick operators selling time-sharing The words sly and tricky are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, sly implies furtiveness, lack of candor, and skill in concealing one's aims and methods. a sly corporate raider The meanings of wily and tricky largely overlap; however, wily implies skill and deception in maneuvering. the wily fugitive escaped the posse
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tricky

adjective

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

Kids Definition

adjective

adjective

Synonym Chooser