trickery

noun

trick·​ery ˈtri-k(ə-)rē 

: the practice of crafty underhanded ingenuity to deceive or cheat

Synonyms of trickery

• deception
• subterfuge
• treachery
• deceptiveness
• chicanery
• jugglery
• gamesmanship
• cunning
• skulduggery
• legerdemain
• artfulness

Choose the Right Synonym for trickery

deception, fraud, double-dealing, subterfuge, trickery mean the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives.

deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.

magicians are masters of deception

fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.

indicted for fraud

double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.

a go-between suspected of double-dealing

subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end.

obtained the papers by subterfuge

trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.

resorted to trickery to gain their ends

Examples of trickery in a Sentence

He resorted to trickery to get what he wanted.

Delia resorted to trickery—even loading up the fishing equipment—to induce her dog into the car for his vet appointment.

Recent Examples on the Web

Carolina also tried some trickery, putting starting wide receiver Jalen Coker back for punt returns. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 20 Sep. 2026

Hackers have long used trickery to bait users into installing malware or giving up their passwords. — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 16 Sep. 2026

Course designer Leopoldo Palacios’s influential track featured a rollback to the water tray — a bit of trickery that Palacios had famously used at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and had shelved since. — Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026

Extremism, in both parties, is a tool of propagandists trying to win elections through trickery. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

trickery

noun

trick·​ery ˈtrik-(ə-)rē 

plural trickeries

: the use of tricks to deceive or cheat