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
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
For a while now, I’ve been interested in Baba Yaga as an example of this female trickster that pops up in folklore and mythology.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 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
“You were caught in our trap, plain as day. We knew the trickster would send someone, but children? He is truly desperate.”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
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.
