Synonym Chooser

How does the noun trickery differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of trickery are deception, double-dealing, fraud, and subterfuge. While all these words mean "the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives," trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.

resorted to trickery to gain their ends

Where would deception be a reasonable alternative to trickery?

The meanings of deception and trickery largely overlap; however, deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.

magicians are masters of deception

When is double-dealing a more appropriate choice than trickery?

The words double-dealing and trickery can be used in similar contexts, but double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.

a go-between suspected of double-dealing

In what contexts can fraud take the place of trickery?

Although the words fraud and trickery have much in common, fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.

indicted for fraud

When could subterfuge be used to replace trickery?

While in some cases nearly identical to trickery, 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

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trickery The rooms are packed with high-tech trickery which creates alien-like landscapes. Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025 As anticipated, the environmental trickery and effects are out of this world. Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025 During the tournament, some trickery helped the La Jollans against unfamiliar competitors, said Crista Hubbard (née Breihan). Ashley MacKin Solomon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Aug. 2025 Many of these communities no longer appear on modern maps, having been either absorbed by expanding cities, erased by highways, or lost through legal trickery. Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 16 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trickery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trickery
Noun
  • So, perhaps the issue is the deception and not the expense.
    R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
  • But with this shift comes a new era of digital deception.
    Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The act of subterfuge was particularly common in the 2000s, amidst America’s unpopular foreign policy and the country’s invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq.
    Vivian Song, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The trial was a kangaroo circus packed with sophism, subterfuge, and courtroom chicanery.
    Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • When does compromise become treachery or defeat?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Could Juno be behind this treachery, as payback for David destroying her spy corporation and for changing his oldest daughter into a killer?
    Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 27 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Of course, the retort is that this would be irritating and exasperating to be continually deluged with alerts about AI deceptiveness.
    Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Democrats have stood still for this chicanery every time it’s been tried in the past.
    Thomas Elias, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
  • The trial was a kangaroo circus packed with sophism, subterfuge, and courtroom chicanery.
    Manuel Muñoz, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, The Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.
    Denise Petski, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Luke Shaw’s technique and cunning at centre-back deserved to be better rewarded.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Anyone who doubts his resolve and dedication - especially when Charlie was such a close friend to him- simply is using this extremely sad moment in a disgusting act of political gamesmanship.
    Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
  • In practice, however, PSLF has been a story of bureaucratic failure and political gamesmanship.
    Leadership Brainery, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • And though O’Neil, who has been inside, says the building itself is in no shape for skullduggery, that doesn’t mean said skullduggery isn’t happening elsewhere.
    A.K. Whitney, Oc Register, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The American people are seeking solace and inspiration from its leaders, not pettiness and skullduggery.
    Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 10 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Trickery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trickery. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on trickery

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