trickery

noun

trick·​ery ˈtri-k(ə-)rē 

: the practice of crafty underhanded ingenuity to deceive or cheat

Synonyms

• artifice
• chicane
• chicanery
• gamesmanship
• hanky-panky
• jiggery-pokery
• jugglery
• legerdemain
• skulduggery
• skullduggery
• subterfuge
• wile

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

The ability to render the real world using charcoal is utter trickery. —Emily Wilson, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2025

But just try not to be tickled by even the simplest of the show’s trickery, like when a book fallen from a school locker flies right back in. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 22 Apr. 2025

This mental trickery accompanies the broader truth that most homeowners work hard for their properties and take pride in their neighborhoods and schools, all of which together represent status and asset value in the world. —Jeff Hobbs, Time, 10 Apr. 2025

That narrative decision fits with Saxon’s ethos to use real skills (sculpting, puppetry, painting) and not only computer trickery to accomplish their lofty goals. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025

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