tricky

American  

[trik-ee] / ˈtrɪk i /

adjective

trickier, trickiest

1. given to or characterized by deceitful tricks; crafty; wily.

   Synonyms:

   shrewd, sly, artful

2. skilled in clever tricks or dodges.

   Synonyms:

   adroit, skillful

3. deceptive, uncertain, or difficult to deal with or handle.

   Synonyms:

   perilous, unreliable, unpredictable, doubtful

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tricky British  

/ ˈtrɪkɪ /

adjective

1. involving snags or difficulties

   a tricky job

2. needing careful and tactful handling

   a tricky situation

3. characterized by tricks; sly; wily

   a tricky dealer

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Other Word Forms

• trickily adverb
• trickiness noun

Etymology

Origin of tricky

First recorded in 1780–90; trick + -y ¹

Example Sentences

Hopes of a Grand Slam or a first title since 2020 could not be further away and given tricky trips to Rome and Paris are to come, Borthwick's side are now under increasing pressure.

From BBC

But that leaves the trickier situation of those who’ve already made it in.

From The Wall Street Journal

Instead, he said, it was the afternoon winds that made it "pretty tricky."

From Barron's

And that is tricky—especially compared with a platform like Uber, which is well accustomed to using pricing and software to adjust its fleet of drivers to match times of peak and low demand.

From The Wall Street Journal

His 37 off 33 balls against Ireland was slow, but the Ireland camp highlighted how impressed they were given the tricky nature of the pitch.

From BBC

Related Words

• complex
• critical
• delicate
• intricate
• knotty
• precarious
• problematic
• risky
• rocky
• sensitive
• sticky
• thorny
• ticklish
• touchy
• unstable