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 injuries can be tricky, and this is the first major one that the star forward has dealt with. —Matt Levine, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025

For the hazards of the tricky pedestrian crossings. —Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025

The tricky balancing act has increased the pressure not just on Republican leadership, but on Trump to pressure and persuade members of his party to back the signature legislation for his second term agenda. —Brett Samuels, The Hill, 17 May 2025

Each has navigated the long journey through space and the even trickier descent to the Moon’s surface or into orbit with varying degrees of success. —Zhenbo Wang, The Conversation, 16 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