trickster
Americannoun
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a deceiver; cheat; fraud.
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a person who plays tricks.
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a supernatural figure appearing in various guises and typically engaging in mischievous activities, important in the folklore and mythology of many primitive peoples and usually conceived as a culture hero.
noun
Other Word Forms
- trickstering noun
Etymology
Origin of trickster
Explanation
Someone who likes to play jokes or tell fibs is a trickster. If you're a trickster, your favorite holiday is probably April Fools' Day. While we commonly use the noun trickster for anyone who plays pranks or cons you out of a dollar, the trickster is also a classic character in mythology and folklore. These trickster figures are usually smart and canny rule breakers. In Greek mythology, Hermes is often seen as a trickster, and in West African stories, a spider named Anansi is the epitome of the trickster.
Vocabulary lists containing trickster
STAAR English II: Elements of Literature 2
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Lesson 3
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Craft and Structure Vocabulary, Unit 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Watching a trickster hypnotize someone in a live performance might impress you.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025
The work in question is a "maqāma" -- an Arabic literary form that often features a wandering "trickster."
From Science Daily • Nov. 11, 2025
HH: That almost makes me think of the trickster archetype, Legba, the god who pretends to have a limp to get you to mirror it, turning on itself.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2024
Crudup plays 19 characters in the 80-minute performance, taking on the roles of everyone the titular confidence trickster comes into contact with.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2024
That made more sense, more trickster sense, showing your eyes one thing and tripping your feet in another direction.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
