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

Popular on Variety Craig Sweeny’s screenplay strikes a frequently arch posture to accommodate this trickster protagonist, which undermines any pretense of seriousness elsewhere. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025

And yet much of the popular literature about these creatures paints them as lascivious tricksters, not to be trusted. —Elizabeth Rush, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2025

The movie marinates in his trickster theater-kid spirit. —Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 24 Dec. 2024

The trickster planet ushers from Aries to Pisces on March 29, encouraging us to set aside our instincts and go with the flow. —Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 29 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