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 This can make finding the right size underwear a bit tricky, so be sure to follow each brand’s specific size guidelines. Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024 Have a Strategic Plan and Stick to It Juggling a number of businesses as an entrepreneur can be tricky, but the key to success in boosting your bottom lines is having the right professionals in place to help scale your ventures and set realistic goals for growth. Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 21 Mar. 2024 Achieving the unanimity required is likely to be tricky. Hanna Ziady, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 Cons This towel is large, which is great for covering more surface area, but can be a bit tricky when targeting smaller areas of concern. Jessie Quinn, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 The slimmer device is designed to target smaller areas of the face that are trickier to massage, like the eyes and lips. Isabella Ubaldi, Health, 20 Mar. 2024 The challengers’ objection to an internal email sent from a Biden COVID adviser to a Facebook official is trickier. USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 Other reasons might be trickier to detect, requiring more careful observation. Colleen Grablick, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 Here are seven options to consider, depending on your current water consumption, available time and money: 1) Start with leak detection, which can be tricky. Kobi Bardugo, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tricky.' 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

1786, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tricky was in 1786

Dictionary Entries Near tricky

Cite this Entry

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

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!