tricky

adjective

ˈtri-kē 

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 sense 2

3

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

a tricky problem

also : ingenious

a tricky rhythm

trickily

ˈtri-kə-lē 

adverb

trickiness

ˈtri-kē-nəs 

noun

Synonyms

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

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

But the mechanics of imposing an actual tariff are a bit tricky. —Gene Maddaus, Variety, 5 May 2025

However, Newcastle have a tricky final four matches. —Tom Burrows, New York Times, 3 May 2025

The week started in tricky fashion for the Canneseries organizers, as Jury President Norman Reedus pulled out at the last minute due to a filming commitment, which Andreas later reported was an indie horror lensing in New Mexico. —Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 May 2025

Most impressively, Hawes achieves the tricky feat of processing Jane’s musings — narrated from beyond the grave — and the personal pain often inflicted by them without resorting to melodramatics. —Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 2 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1786, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tricky

• dickie
• dicky
• hickey
• micky
• nicky
• picky
• quickie
• rickey
• sticky
• colicky

Kids Definition

tricky

adjective

ˈtrik-ē 

trickier; trickiest

1

: likely to use or characterized by tricks or trickery

2

: requiring skill or caution : difficult

a tricky situation