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Synonyms

trickster

American  
[trik-ster] / ˈtrɪk stər /

noun

  1. a deceiver; cheat; fraud.

  2. a person who plays tricks.

  3. 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.

trickster British  
/ ˈtrɪkstə /

noun

  1. a person who deceives or plays tricks

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • trickstering noun

Etymology

Origin of trickster

First recorded in 1705–15; trick + -ster

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

A trickster genius with a mean moral code, Moretti turns out to be the music world’s Willy Wonka, complete with a mysterious throng of live-in devotees carrying out his revenge.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2025

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

It’s not like we can send the police down to Asamando to arrest a certain trickster god.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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.