tricky

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparable

   Hard to do or handle because it needs care, skill or delicate judgment.

   Grammar: Can come before a noun (a tricky question) or after a verb (it was tricky).

   Patterns

   • tricky to do
   • a tricky situation

   Parallel parking on a steep hill is tricky.

   The negotiations became tricky when both sides refused to move.

   It's tricky to explain the rules to someone who has never played.

2. 2adjectivecomparableinformaldisapproving

   Likely to deceive people or play tricks, often in a clever, sly way.

   Grammar: Describes people or their behavior; more informal than cunning.

   Patterns

   • a tricky person

   Be careful with that salesman, he's a tricky fellow.

   The fox in the story is tricky and always escapes the farmer.

   She gave a tricky answer that avoided the real question.

Word forms

Common combinations

a tricky situation

We are in a tricky situation because the deadline cannot move.

tricky question

The interviewer asked a tricky question about salary.

tricky to handle

Raw eggs are tricky to handle without making a mess.

a bit tricky

The recipe is a bit tricky the first time.

get tricky

Things get tricky when the weather turns.

Synonyms and how they differ

difficult

Difficult is the plain, general word, while tricky suggests a task that is not heavy but needs care.

delicate

Delicate stresses danger of damage or offense, so it fits fragile situations better than tricky.

cunning

Cunning fits the person sense, but it is stronger and more openly negative than tricky.

Opposites

Word family

trick noun

an act meant to deceive or amuse, or a clever technique

trickiness noun

the quality of being difficult or deceptive

trickily adverb

in a difficult or tricky way

trickster noun

a person who plays tricks or cheats

Commonly confused: tricky or tricksy?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tricky”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words