as in deception
the use of clever underhanded actions to achieve an end
Delia resorted to trickery—even loading up the fishing equipment—to induce her dog into the car for his vet appointment
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Recent Examples of trickery
In the Carlson interview, Kennedy dismissed the many studies and scientific consensus that shots don’t cause autism as nothing more than statistical trickery.
—
Patricia Callahan, CNN Money, 18 July 2025
Indeed, in the 1950s, a magician from New York named John Mulholland was secretly contracted with the agency to write a manual for Cold War spies on trickery and deception.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2025
Fifth, trickery is used to put shiny objects in front of the public to distract from the reality that AI progress is not moving as smoothly as suggested.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
Innovative feats of trickery are infused with the world of weed.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for trickery
Patricia Callahan, CNN Money, 18 July 2025
Indeed, in the 1950s, a magician from New York named John Mulholland was secretly contracted with the agency to write a manual for Cold War spies on trickery and deception.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2025
Fifth, trickery is used to put shiny objects in front of the public to distract from the reality that AI progress is not moving as smoothly as suggested.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 4 July 2025
Innovative feats of trickery are infused with the world of weed.
—Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for trickery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trickery
Noun
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The deception here is the notion that these four men are playing against one another, cards or dice or some type of game.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
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Clown references imply the fans are in on Swift's schemes, here for the deception and recognize the serious undertones beneath the singer's stage makeup.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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That phonetic play alone already signals one of the project’s theoretical subterfuges: that of exploring the most advanced conditions of the subject’s annihilation as a foundational precondition for artistic authority.—
Benjamin H. D. Buchloh,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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An especially Jewish theme in the seventeenth century was not only the necessity but the dignity of subterfuge; to have lived in the shadows of another people’s empire had a nobility of its own, captured in this exquisite and ambivalent image.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
19 July 2025
Noun
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Thus far, this prosecution, and a corresponding case against the gang in Sacramento, have been rife with evidence of treachery and violence inside and outside of prison.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
31 July 2025
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The six-parter, to debut July 14, follows six groups of friends, and six historical cases of murder and treachery among them.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Those concerns were laid bare in the discovery process for the defamation case that Dominion Voting Systems took against Fox over false suggestions of fraud and other chicanery aired by guests on the network.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
19 July 2025
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One is inclined to ask how much chicanery, deceit, deception and outright lying one must absorb before ending one’s allegiance to that party.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
2 June 2025
Noun
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Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one 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.—
Joe Otterson,
Variety,
30 July 2025
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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.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
28 May 2025
Noun
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And Newsom, the California Governor and not-so-subtle contender for the Democratic nomination for President next turn, has threatened through allies to respond in kind to Texas’ gamesmanship.—
Philip Elliott,
Time,
4 Aug. 2025
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The decision to defund the lottery, which for the much of this year has been a magnet for criticism in the Legislature on multiple fronts, was seen as legislative gamesmanship when the House in the wee hours of Friday morning passed its version of the state budget.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Noun
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From encounters with mermaids, the devil and even Robin Hood to themes of superstition and skulduggery, these short tales are perfect escapism to dip in and out of during your summer vacation.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
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This year the skulduggery began early and has been raging for week.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Between April 1 and 7, the fair gathered 60 brands at the Palexpo exhibition center that broke new records, showcased world premieres and offered an ever-growing array of technical and artistic legerdemain in their latest high-end timepieces.—
Lily Templeton,
Footwear News,
17 Apr. 2025
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Congressional legerdemain can’t wave away that reality.—
Howard Gleckman,
Forbes,
4 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Trickery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trickery. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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