trickster

[ trik-ster ]

noun

1. a deceiver; cheat; fraud.
2. a person who plays tricks.
3. a supernatural figure appearing in various guises and typically engaging in mischievous activities, important in the folklore and mythology of many primitive peoples and usually conceived as a culture hero.

trickster

/ ˈtrɪkstə /

noun

1. a person who deceives or plays tricks

Other Words From

• trickster·ing noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of trickster¹

First recorded in 1705–15; trick + -ster

Example Sentences

His rhymes are intermittently clever and the chorus contains several sticky hooks, but that fresh, benevolent trickster’s energy that made “Old Town Road” feel so ahead of the curve still remains an elusive quantity.

From New York Times

Matt Sanchez, president and general manager of Yahoo Home Ecosystem, said the company is just trying to stay a step ahead of the tricksters.

From Los Angeles Times

To them, Harris is some type of racial trickster who inherently cannot be trusted to lead the country.

From Salon

Wide-eyed, wild-haired, and disheveled, Keaton's crusty trickster still invokes the patron demon of late-stage crack addiction, bringing with him the same wily unpredictability that made him such a hoot last time.

From Salon

Her campaign signs were defaced with racial slurs, and Nixon’s dirty tricksters tried to smear her reputation in a secret campaign that they brazenly code-named “Operation COAL.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• con artist