tricky
Americanadjective
-
trickier,
comparative
-
trickiest
superlative
adjective
-
involving snags or difficulties
a tricky job
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needing careful and tactful handling
a tricky situation
-
characterized by tricks; sly; wily
a tricky dealer
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Etymology
Origin of tricky
Explanation
If something is tricky, it's difficult, like a tricky puzzle. And if a person is tricky, they're sneaky, skilled, or crafty, like a tricky magician who makes it look easy to pull quarters out of your ears. A tricky riddle is extremely hard to figure out, and a tricky question on a math test is even trickier if you can't use a calculator to solve it. In their 1986 rap classic, "It's Tricky," Run-DMC claimed that "it's tricky...to rock a rhyme that's right on time" — or in other words, it's really difficult to write a clever rap lyric.
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.
See Examples For:
Russell was leading in tricky conditions, with half the track dry and half wet, when he got a little too wide at the final corner at the end of the first lap.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026
For all of Colleen Hoover’s success on the page, adapting her books to the screen has been tricky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
That’s a tricky decision to make, because the criteria for impactful album sequencing are not at all the same for a live show.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Do you have questions about inheritance, financial literacy or etiquette, estate planning, friendship, divorce, or other tricky money issues relating to family and friends?
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
Which was tricky to do, but we were both trying.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
It’s trickier than I hoped it would be.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Making current matters trickier on a global level, China is on an economic road that will lead to diminishing demand for transportation fuels, much like the U.S. experienced in the 2000s, according to Chowdhury.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
The rise of streaming and the end of monoculture have made it trickier to know when it’s safe to talk about entertainment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
He also advocated what he called "some trickier changes", such as changing the unpopular, clumsy chicane at Turn Five, and the section from there to Turn Seven.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Although trickier to fly than the Shooting Star, it was also more fun, it had only one seat, and above all, you knew it was the best.
From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins
One of the trickiest parts about having an estranged child is dealing with estate planning.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
She says shorts are "the trickiest item to get right in a professional environment" and recommends tailored, longer shorts paired with a crisp shirt or lightweight blazer for both men and women.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
The deeper mystery, one I’d still like explained, is how Early found the time to learn how to mimic Douglas Sirk’s sneaky sincerity, the trickiest of directorial tones.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
The trickiest part may be settling on a share price -- the cost of one piece of ownership in the company when it first hits the market.
From Barron's ● May 17, 2026
It was the trickiest, sneakiest, most evil combat style she knew.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
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