trickster

noun

trick·​ster ˈtrik-stər 

: one who tricks: such as

a

: a dishonest person who defrauds others by trickery

b

: a person (such as a stage magician) skilled in the use of tricks and illusion

c

: a cunning or deceptive character appearing in various forms in the folklore of many cultures

Synonyms

• bilk
• bilker
• cheat
• cheater
• chiseler
• chiseller
• confidence man
• cozener
• defrauder
• dodger
• fakir
• finagler
• fraudster [chiefly British]
• hoaxer
• scammer
• scamster
• shark
• sharper
• sharpie
• sharpy
• skinner
• swindler
• tricker

Examples of trickster in a Sentence

a heartless trickster swindled the elderly woman out of her life savings

a very adept trickster who used mirrors to make huge items—even buildings—seem to disappear

Recent Examples on the Web

From frame one, Bob Dylan, the creation, the idea, the trickster, the lone wolf, without attitude or affectation, your Dylan was no imitation. —Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 12 Feb. 2025

Loading your audio article SAN RAMON — A 45-year-old New York resident was arrested on suspicion of coming to the East Bay to pull off a scam whereby the victim unwittingly allows the trickster to remove expensive jewelry from their neck. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 21 Dec. 2024

Along the way, Miguel meets the charming trickster Hector, famous musician Ernesto de la Cruz and deceased members of the Rivera family. —Brady MacDonald, Orange County Register, 15 Aug. 2024

Gemini can relate to keeping up appearances and the longing for another shot at romance (the trickster sign does everything twice since there are two of them). —Lisa Stardust, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1711, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing trickster

• confidence trickster

Kids Definition

trickster

noun

trick·​ster ˈtrik-stər 

: one who tricks: as

a

: a dishonest person who cheats others by trickery

b

: magician sense 2