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
3
: requiring skill, knack, or caution (as in doing or handling) : difficult
a tricky problem
also : ingenious
a tricky rhythm
trickily adverb
trickiness noun
Choose the Right Synonym for tricky

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.
Inclement weather has long been the bane of festivals and outdoor tours, and differentiating between climate change and a stretch of bad storms can be tricky. David Browne, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2025 Convinced that Zoom was responsible for changing the timeline, Barry goes in search of other superheroes for assistance, only to find things are trickier on that front as well. Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025 Lead with Gratitude and Grace Calling out someone for bothering you is always tricky. Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2025 Divvying up a collection in an estate plan can be tricky. Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Tricky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tricky. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

tricky

adjective
trickier; trickiest
1
: likely to use or characterized by tricks or trickery
2
: requiring skill or caution : difficult
a tricky situation

More from Merriam-Webster on tricky

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