tricky

adjective \ ˈtri-kē \

Definition of tricky

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

b :trick 2

3 :requiring skill, knack, or caution (as in doing or handling) :difficult

a tricky problem

; also :ingenious

a tricky rhythm

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trickily

play \ˈtri-kə-lē\ adverb

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trickiness

play \ˈtri-kē-nəs\ noun

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See tricky defined for kids

Examples of tricky in a Sentence

The lock is tricky to open.
a tricky musical passage for the woodwind section

Recent Examples of tricky from the Web

That's just the start of the economic consequences, which can be tricky to measure.

— tory newmyer, Washington Post, "The Finance 202: Harvey complicates Trump's border wall plans," 29 Aug. 2017
While lawsuits across international jurisdictions can be tricky to sort out, such moves can also pay off.

— peter prengaman, The Seattle Times, "War crimes suits against Sri Lankan ambassador in Brazil," 28 Aug. 2017
But pinpointing a particular country of origin, as many testing services claim to do, is far trickier.

— gina kolata, New York Times, "With a Simple DNA Test, Family Histories Are Rewritten," 28 Aug. 2017
But our adversaries have developed new ways of confronting us that are trickier.

— jeanette steele, sandiegouniontribune.com, "UCSD Peace and Security Studies Center gets $3M from Koch fund," 18 Aug. 2017
But here's where the similarities get tricky: Jon Snow's real dad, on the other hand, was far from Robert Baratheon's friend.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Jon Snow and Gendry Recreate Ned and Robert's Friendship," 14 Aug. 2017
He was also supposed to be a vertical option following the exit of Ted Ginn Jr. in free agency and will ultimately count on versatility similar to McCaffrey’s to help create tricky looks and personnel situations for opposing defenses.

— jourdan rodrigue, charlotteobserver, "Panthers rookie Curtis Samuel’s first NFL training camp has not been what he expected," 11 Aug. 2017
Obtaining tissue from a judge’s inner sanctum was trickier.

— The Hive, "How Trump’s Embarrassing Wall Street Journal Interview Got Leaked," 2 Aug. 2017
Without that understanding expanding the model will be tricky.

— The Economist, "EdtechTechnology is transforming what happens when a child goes to school," 22 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tricky.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of tricky

1786

tricky Synonyms

Synonyms

catchy, delicate, difficult, dodgy [chiefly British], hairy, knotty, nasty, prickly, problematic (also problematical), sensitive, spiny, sticky, thorny, ticklish, touchy, tough, tricksy

Antonyms

artless, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, undesigning

Related Words

abstract, abstruse, complex, complicated, hard, intricate, involved, recondite, serious; problem, scabrous, stubborn, troublesome, troublous, vexatious, vexing, worrisome; burdensome, demanding, discommoding, exacting, exhausting, importunate, inconvenient, onerous, oppressive, painful, stressful

Near Antonyms

easy, effortless, manageable, painless, simple, straightforward, uncomplicated, undemanding, unproblematic

Synonym Discussion of 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.