Need another word that means the same as “tricky”? Find 32 synonyms and 30 related words for “tricky” in this overview.
The synonyms of “Tricky” are: catchy, slippery, crafty, cunning, dodgy, foxy, guileful, knavish, slick, sly, tricksy, wily, difficult, awkward, problematic, delicate, ticklish, sensitive, touchy, risky, uncertain, precarious, touch-and-go, artful, devious, scheming, deceitful, deceptive, duplicitous, dishonest, disingenuous, machiavellian
According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “tricky” as an adjective can have the following definitions:
artful | Clever or skilful, especially in a crafty or cunning way. An artful photograph of a striking woman. |
awkward | Not elegant or graceful in expression. His clumsy fingers produced an awkward knot. |
catchy | Likely to attract attention. Catchy pop melodies. |
crafty | Skilled at the making of decorative objects and other things by hand. A crafty crook faked an injury to escape from prison. |
cunning | Having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion. A cunning look came into his eyes. |
deceitful | Intended to deceive. Such an act would have been deceitful and irresponsible. |
deceptive | Causing one to believe what is not true or fail to believe what is true. The deceptive calm in the eye of the storm. |
delicate | (of colour) subtle and subdued. A delicate flavor. |
devious | Showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals. A devious character. |
difficult | Characterized by or causing hardships or problems. Lily could be difficult. |
dishonest | Capable of being corrupted. Dishonest politicians. |
disingenuous | Not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness- David Cannadine. An ambitious disingenuous philistine and hypocritical operator who exemplified the most disagreeable traits of his time. |
dodgy | Marked by skill in deception. Spurs dodgy defence had thrown away a 2 0 lead. |
duplicitous | (of a charge or plea) containing more than one allegation. A duplicitous philanderer. |
foxy | Marked by skill in deception. A foxy lady. |
guileful | Marked by skill in deception. A supremely guileful and deceptive politician. |
knavish | Marked by skill in deception. His knavish tricks will be frustrated. |
machiavellian | Of or relating to Machiavelli or the principles of conduct he recommended. |
precarious | Affording no ease or reassurance. A precarious truce. |
problematic | Making great mental demands; hard to comprehend or solve or believe. If you ever get married which seems to be extremely problematic. |
risky | Involving risk or danger. Their risky patter made the guests laugh. |
scheming | Concealing crafty designs for advancing your own interest. They had mean scheming little minds. |
sensitive | Easily damaged, injured, or distressed by slight changes. Sensitive to the local community and its needs. |
slick | Made slick by e g ice or grease. A salesperson may be viewed as a slick confidence trickster. |
slippery | (of a person) evasive and unpredictable; not to be relied on. The word intended is a decidedly slippery one. |
sly | Showing in an insinuating way that one has some secret knowledge that may be harmful or embarrassing. A sly sip of water. |
ticklish | Difficult to handle; requiring great tact. Hesitates to be explicit on so ticklish a matter. |
touch-and-go | Functioning correctly and ready for action. |
touchy | Easily upset or offended; oversensitive. The monarchy has become a touchy topic. |
tricksy | Ingenious, intricate, or complicated. A tricksy little device. |
uncertain | Not consistent or dependable. The weather is uncertain. |
wily | Marked by skill in deception. His wily opponents. |
appealing | Attractive or interesting. He added an appealing and memorable figure to popular American mythology. |
artful | Clever or skilful, especially in a crafty or cunning way. An artful photograph of a striking woman. |
artfully | In a manner that shows creative skill or taste. Body scanners are turning up artfully concealed items. |
astute | Marked by practical hardheaded intelligence. An astute tenant always reads the small print in a lease. |
burden | The central idea that is expanded in a document or discourse. They were not yet burdened with adult responsibility. |
catchy | Likely to attract attention. Catchy pop melodies. |
chicanery | The use of deception or subterfuge to achieve one’s purpose. Storylines packed with political chicanery. |
covert | (of a wife) being under the protection of her husband. Covert actions by the CIA. |
crafty | Involving the making of decorative objects and other things by hand. They are looking for crafty people to join the group to make ornaments. |
cunning | Having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion. Plants have evolved cunning defences. |
difficult | Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand. A difficult child. |
duplicity | A fraudulent or duplicitous representation. The president was accused of duplicity in his dealings with Congress. |
elusive | Difficult to remember. A cabal of conspirators each more elusive than the archterrorist. |
fraudulence | The quality of being fraudulent. |
guile | Sly or cunning intelligence. He used all his guile and guts to free himself from the muddle he was in. |
hard | Causing great damage or hardship. Took a hard look. |
irresistibly | Incapable of being resisted. Their eyes were drawn irresistibly back to the house. |
machiavellian | A follower of Machiavelli’s principles. |
manipulative | Exercising unscrupulous control or influence over a person or situation. She was sly selfish and manipulative. |
onerous | Not easily borne; wearing. He found his duties increasingly onerous. |
recall | An act or instance of officially recalling someone or something. He recalled how he felt at the time. |
remember | Mention as by way of greeting or to indicate friendship. Remember me in your prayers. |
secretive | (of a state or activity) characterized by the concealment of intentions and information. A secretive smile. |
skulduggery | Verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way. A firm that investigates commercial skulduggery. |
sly | (of an action) surreptitious. A sly manipulative woman. |
slyly | In a cunning and deceitful or manipulative manner. He slyly manipulates votes. |
subtle | (of a mixture or effect) delicately complex and understated. A subtle poison. |
trickery | Verbal misrepresentation intended to take advantage of you in some way. The dealer resorted to trickery. |
wile | The use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them. The devious wiles of the politicians. |
wily | Skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully. His wily opponents. |
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