trickster

noun

trick·​ster ˈtrik-stər How to pronounce trickster (audio)
: one who tricks: such as
a
: a dishonest person who defrauds others by trickery
b
: a person (such as a stage magician) skilled in the use of tricks and illusion
c
: a cunning or deceptive character appearing in various forms in the folklore of many cultures

Examples of trickster in a Sentence

a heartless trickster swindled the elderly woman out of her life savings a very adept trickster who used mirrors to make huge items—even buildings—seem to disappear
Recent Examples on the Web While everyone's April 1 traditions vary slightly, the basis is the same, with tricksters and pranksters bound to be scheming globally. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Mar. 2024 One of the shape-shifting tricksters from Chinese folklore is the unlikely yet convincing narrator of Yangsze Choo’s witty and suspenseful THE FOX WIFE (Holt, 400 pp., $27.99). Alida Becker, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2024 By the finale, the beloved trickster was able to control time at will, traveling to specific dates and locations and interacting with his pals Mobius (Owen Wilson), Sylvie (Sophia Di Martino), and OB (Ke Huy Quan). EW.com, 11 Nov. 2023 While preparing for the role, Ashton got some advice from another Marvel villain: her fiancé Tom Hiddleston, who's played trickster god Loki since 2011. Devan Coggan, EW.com, 18 July 2023 His closest analogues in children’s media are not other parents, but the fools and tricksters that children encounter when they are allowed to roam unsupervised. Amanda Hess, New York Times, 18 Dec. 2023 Santos, homosexual trickster and mean drunk, has apparently booked an interview with Ziwe, professional baiter. Vulture, 4 Dec. 2023 But the news wasn’t true: An unknown trickster had filed false paperwork that listed the name of one of BlackRock’s executives. Inside the World of Cryptocurrencies For a small group of bankruptcy lawyers and other corporate turnaround specialists, crypto’s implosion has become a financial bonanza. David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023 The history surrounding the pairing of Friday and the number 13 is murky at best — some historians point to a Norse myth involving the trickster god Loki, others say the 13 guests at the Last Supper and Jesus’s crucifixion on a Friday helped fuel the bad mojo. Timothy Bella, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'trickster.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trickster was in 1711

Dictionary Entries Near trickster

Cite this Entry

“Trickster.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trickster. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

trickster

noun
trick·​ster ˈtrik-stər How to pronounce trickster (audio)
: one who tricks: as
a
: a dishonest person who cheats others by trickery

More from Merriam-Webster on trickster

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