Synonym Chooser

How does the noun trickery differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of trickery are deception, double-dealing, fraud, and subterfuge. While all these words mean "the acts or practices of one who deliberately deceives," trickery implies ingenious acts intended to dupe or cheat.

resorted to trickery to gain their ends

Where would deception be a reasonable alternative to trickery?

The meanings of deception and trickery largely overlap; however, deception may or may not imply blameworthiness, since it may suggest cheating or merely tactical resource.

magicians are masters of deception

When is double-dealing a more appropriate choice than trickery?

The words double-dealing and trickery can be used in similar contexts, but double-dealing suggests treachery or at least action contrary to a professed attitude.

a go-between suspected of double-dealing

In what contexts can fraud take the place of trickery?

Although the words fraud and trickery have much in common, fraud always implies guilt and often criminality in act or practice.

indicted for fraud

When could subterfuge be used to replace trickery?

While in some cases nearly identical to trickery, subterfuge suggests the adoption of a stratagem or the telling of a lie in order to escape guilt or to gain an end.

obtained the papers by subterfuge

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of trickery They are rooted in mental and physical prowess, not digital trickery. Tony Bradley, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025 Yet even as that’s happening, Patterson stages it all with an elliptical trickery that keeps the film knowingly off-balance. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Mar. 2025 The Spark Neo lacks the directional surround-sound trickery of the Boss headphones, and comes with just four tone presets loaded into the system out of the box. Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 10 Feb. 2025 In Reid’s version of the play, however, the ball is snapped directly to the running back, for a little extra trickery. David Hill, Rolling Stone, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for trickery
Recent Examples of Synonyms for trickery
Noun
  • In another case, Balmer pleaded guilty in 2016 to forgery and theft by deception charges, court documents show.
    Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
  • Imposter syndrome is an internal struggle with feeling like a fraud despite being qualified, whereas career catfishing is an active deception.
    Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 13 Apr. 2025
Noun
  • Other times, the responsible parties engage in active subterfuge.
    Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025
  • His delivery of Mantel’s dialogue—modern, intelligent, bristling with implication and subterfuge—is mesmerizingly clear.
    Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 20 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Because of that treachery Castor was a pure mortal, but Pollux was a half god.
    Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025
  • After weeks of treachery and deception, the final roundtable has been viewed, and the winner or winners for The Traitors Season 3 have been revealed.
    Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Jane was a devout Protestant at a time of religious upheaval, the ultimate innocent victim of the chicanery of the Tudor court in the chaotic aftermath of Henry VIII’s reign.
    Pan Pylas, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025
  • The more processes and services a security tool contains, the more opportunities for such chicanery.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 4 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 18 Mar. 2025
  • Noted for his tenacity and cunning, Khamenei is also a man of conviction, and his hatred for the United States is deeply felt.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Psychologist Susan Cain, in Quiet, says introverts thrive in solitude, delivering their best work without the social stimulus overload of open offices and needing to play political gamesmanship.
    Jack Kelly, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
  • The characters surrounding Matt embody that gamesmanship.
    Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 26 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Obviously, such a system is rife with uncertainty, and the history of the process is full of skulduggery, both on the club and player side.
    Tony Blengino, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
  • Climax became the first ever vegan cheesemaker to win a prestigious Good Food award—though dairy complaints caused the prize to be rescinded at the last minute, with shades of the protectionist, legal skulduggery faced by non-dairy milk products.
    Andrew Rosenblum, Popular Science, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • Congressional legerdemain can’t wave away that reality.
    Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
  • No matter how Congress formally scores the price of extending the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, as well as other Trump initiatives, accounting legerdemain can’t make fiscal reality disappear.
    Howard Gleckman, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Trickery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/trickery. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.

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