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
Synonyms
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
The show’s tone strikes a tricky balance between political satire and outright tragedy, and the Captain is the character most responsible for pulling it off.
—
Brandon Yu, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Related Stories The secret to the show’s success seems to be successfully capturing the game franchise’s tricky balance of drama, graphic violence and off-beat humor — something plenty of Western projects have tried and failed to do the in the past (remember Will Smith’s Wild Wild West?).
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
One tricky part is that while growth rings on trees represent years, the growth rings on octopus represent days.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
This has worked for some companies—after 15 years, Uber is finally profitable—but monetization is especially tricky for dating apps.
—Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Anyone who’s familiar with the book’s tricky material realizes that’s an impressive feat to pull off.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
These are tricky times for many of us trans people, and having compassion from our families and communities is very meaningful.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Losing weight is a tricky process that often require more changes than one.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
Deborah’s coming into her own as a comedian, and the show’s finding its voice, originated in the tricky, self-serious, righteously indignant Ava.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
Brandon Yu, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Related Stories The secret to the show’s success seems to be successfully capturing the game franchise’s tricky balance of drama, graphic violence and off-beat humor — something plenty of Western projects have tried and failed to do the in the past (remember Will Smith’s Wild Wild West?).
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
One tricky part is that while growth rings on trees represent years, the growth rings on octopus represent days.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Apr. 2024
This has worked for some companies—after 15 years, Uber is finally profitable—but monetization is especially tricky for dating apps.
—Lora Kelley, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Anyone who’s familiar with the book’s tricky material realizes that’s an impressive feat to pull off.
—Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
These are tricky times for many of us trans people, and having compassion from our families and communities is very meaningful.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Losing weight is a tricky process that often require more changes than one.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Apr. 2024
Deborah’s coming into her own as a comedian, and the show’s finding its voice, originated in the tricky, self-serious, righteously indignant Ava.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tricky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1786, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near tricky
Cite this Entry
“Tricky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tricky. Accessed 17 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on tricky
Nglish: Translation of tricky for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tricky for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share