trickery

noun

trick·​ery ˈtri-k(ə-)rē How to pronounce trickery (audio)
: the practice of crafty underhanded ingenuity to deceive or cheat
Choose the Right Synonym for trickery

deception, fraud, double-dealing, subterfuge, trickery mean the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives.

deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.

magicians are masters of deception

fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.

indicted for fraud

double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.

a go-between suspected of double-dealing

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

trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.

resorted to trickery to gain their ends

Examples of trickery in a Sentence

He resorted to trickery to get what he wanted. Delia resorted to trickery—even loading up the fishing equipment—to induce her dog into the car for his vet appointment.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Yet even as that’s happening, Patterson stages it all with an elliptical trickery that keeps the film knowingly off-balance. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025 The Spark Neo lacks the directional surround-sound trickery of the Boss headphones, and comes with just four tone presets loaded into the system out of the box. Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 10 Feb. 2025 In Reid’s version of the play, however, the ball is snapped directly to the running back, for a little extra trickery. David Hill, Rolling Stone, 6 Feb. 2025 Scientists expect that in an evolutionary arms race the female will evolve features to respond to the male's ability to see their trickery. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trickery

Word History

First Known Use

1796, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of trickery was in 1796

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Trickery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/trickery. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

trickery

noun
trick·​ery ˈtrik-(ə-)rē How to pronounce trickery (audio)
plural trickeries
: the use of tricks to deceive or cheat

More from Merriam-Webster on trickery

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!