trickster means any of numerous figures featuring in various mythologies and folk traditions, who use guile and secret knowledge to challenge authority and play tricks and pranks on others with their acts of trickery; any similar figure in literature. It carries an Arena rating of 1555, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, trickster ranks #652 of 17,093 for Most Storied Words, #1,032 of 17,116 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,848 of 17,123 for Most Malleable Words, #2,856 of 17,130 for Most Ingenious Words.
trickster is pronounced /ˈtɹɪk.stə/.
Why “trickster” is a great word
A character, archetypal or real, who employs cunning, deception, and subversive knowledge to defy conventions, play pranks, or execute clever feats. From the English word 'trick' (meaning a deceitful or skillful act) + the agent-noun suffix '-ster' (meaning 'one who does'), first recorded in 1705–15. Unlike a 'con artist,' who deceives for purely criminal gain, or a 'magician,' whose illusions are sanctioned and rule-bound, the trickster is a liminal agent of disruption and revelation. It is the coyote scattering stars across the sky, the spider spinning a lie that unravels into wisdom, the child who outwits a giant with a riddle—not merely to deceive, but to prove that every sacred order contains the seeds of its own undoing; their laughter echoes just beyond the firelight, a reminder that every rule is a suggestion waiting to be tested.
noun
- Any of numerous figures featuring in various mythologies and folk traditions, who use guile and secret knowledge to challenge authority and play tricks and pranks on others with their acts of trickery; any similar figure in literature.
- One who plays tricks or pranks on others.e.g.“A skilled trickster knows how to outsmart their enemies with ease.”
- One who performs tricks (parts of a magician act or entertainingly difficult physical actions).e.g.“Our fellow trickster will perform some impressive magic tricks tonight.”
- An impish or playful person.
- A fraud or cheat (person who performs a trick or hoax full of falsehoods for the purpose of unlawful gain).e.g.“That shady trickster faked being a psychic advisor to spread misinformation and gain profit.”
verb
- To engage in the antics of a trickster; to play tricks.
Words closest in meaning
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