1
as in cheats
a dishonest person who uses clever means to cheat others out of something of value
a heartless trickster swindled the elderly woman out of her life savings
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in magicians
one who practices tricks and illusions for entertainment
a very adept trickster who used mirrors to make huge items—even buildings—seem to disappear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tricksters
Like the tricksters of myth, there’s depth to their slyness.
—
Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Floods, tricksters, battles with monsters, creation and apocalypse—sometimes the resemblances are uncanny.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Many of the short form videos are skits featuring cartoonish depictions of Putin, Khamenei and Kim Jong Un posing as tricksters that prank, imprison or kill Trump and Netanyahu.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
In addition to taste testing at the wine and beer tents, see live performances by musical artists, polka dancers and BMX tricksters.
—Caroline Ritzie, The Enquirer, 21 Aug. 2025
Big Think, 5 Feb. 2026
Floods, tricksters, battles with monsters, creation and apocalypse—sometimes the resemblances are uncanny.
—Manvir Singh, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
Many of the short form videos are skits featuring cartoonish depictions of Putin, Khamenei and Kim Jong Un posing as tricksters that prank, imprison or kill Trump and Netanyahu.
—Rashi Shrivastava, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
In addition to taste testing at the wine and beer tents, see live performances by musical artists, polka dancers and BMX tricksters.
—Caroline Ritzie, The Enquirer, 21 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tricksters
Noun
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The world is full of bad actors—cheats, liars, tyrants, sickos—who are, ultimately, mere human beings; at least, this was how rationality would have it.—
Joshua Rothman,
New Yorker,
23 Jan. 2026
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Others might feel the author cheats here, leaving it up to the reader to decide.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
11 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Like Victor Frankenstein, who diligently selects body parts from corpses to stitch together his humanoid creation, the Mexican director carefully assembled his troupe of movie magicians.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
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The first Mistborn trilogy of books centered on metal-using magicians who attempt to overthrow a despotic empire.—
Borys Kit,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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But my collection intentionally ignored the fraudulent exploits of billionaire heirs, tax dodgers and corporate magnates — defense contracts, government lobbying, bank accounts in Switzerland, shell companies in Panama, citizenship of Antigua and political asylum in London.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
Noun
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How many people are attacked by sharks each year?—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
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The most sensitive sharks to the device were in the order Carcharhiniformes, which includes oceanic white-tip sharks and blue sharks.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This scam, according to Kent, could be proliferated with the use of AI, which can allow swindlers to enroll in many different college programs at once.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Good afternoon and welcome to Con Con, the convention for swindlers, mountebanks, and the people who love them.—
Henry Alford,
New Yorker,
1 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tricksters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tricksters. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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