The meaning of Tricky

adjective

Clever or skilful, especially in a crafty or cunning way.

Usage examples:

Her artful wiles

adjective

Intelligent and skillful, esp. in persuading, sometimes without being completely honest

Usage examples:

His politics was an artful blend of high-minded patriotism and malicious gossip about his opponents…

adjective

Causing difficulty; hard to do or deal with.

Usage examples:

Some awkward questions

noun

A four-wheeled road vehicle that is powered by an engine and is able to carry a small number of people.

Usage examples:

She drove up in a car

adjective

Consisting of many different and connected parts.

Usage examples:

A complex network of water channels

noun

A group or system of different things that are linked in a close or complicated way; a network.

Usage examples:

A complex of mountain roads

verb

Make (an atom or compound) form a complex with another.

Usage examples:

The dna was complexed with the nuclear extract

adjective

Consisting of many interconnecting parts or elements; intricate.

Usage examples:

A complicated stereo system

verb

Make (something) more complicated.

Usage examples:

Increased choice will complicate matters for the consumer

adjective

Having many parts that are organized in a way that may be difficult to understand

Usage examples:

A complicated machine/process, he gave me directions, but they were so complicated i got lost.

adjective

(especially of an argument, story, or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow.

Usage examples:

The film is let down by a convoluted plot in which nothing really happens

verb

Make (an argument, story, etc.) complex and difficult to follow.

adjective

(esp. of expression in speech or writing) having a complicated structure and therefore difficult to understand

Usage examples:

A convoluted story/speech/plot

adjective

Clever at achieving one's aims by indirect or deceitful methods.

Usage examples:

A crafty crook faked an injury to escape from prison

adjective

Skillful in argument but likely to be dishonest

Usage examples:

A crafty lawyer

adjective

Having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion.

Usage examples:

A cunning look came into his eyes

noun

Skill in achieving one's ends by deceit.

Usage examples:

A statesman to whom cunning had come as second nature

adjective

Skillful in planning and ready to deceive people in order to get what you want

Usage examples:

A cunning scheme, they made their way safely back through enemy territory by stealth and cunning.

adjective

Guilty of or involving deceit; deceiving or misleading others.

Usage examples:

A deceitful politician

adjective

Marked by deliberate deceptiveness

adjective

Giving an appearance or impression different from the true one; misleading.

Usage examples:

He put the question with deceptive casualness

adjective

Making you believe something that is not true

Usage examples:

It's deceptive - from the outside the building looks small, but inside it's very big.

adjective

Very fine in texture or structure; of intricate workmanship or quality.

Usage examples:

A delicate lace shawl

noun

A delicate fabric or garment.

Usage examples:

The delicates cycle of a washing machine

adjective

Needing careful treatment, esp. because easily damaged

Usage examples:

A delicate flower, delicate jewelry, the negotiations have reached a delicate stage., it’s a delica…

adjective

Showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals.

Usage examples:

He's as devious as a politician needs to be

adjective

Using indirect ways to get what you want, esp. without showing your real purpose

Usage examples:

Devious methods, they went by a devious route.

adjective

Using indirect ways to get what you want, especially without showing your real purpose

Usage examples:

Officials called the company 'devious and underhand'., management seems to have acted deviously and…

adjective

Unpredictable and potentially dangerous.

Usage examples:

Food supplies have been dicey in recent months

adjective

Not certain or safe; risky

Usage examples:

Things are going to be a bit dicey until we know whether the budget was approved.

adjective

Needing much effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.

Usage examples:

She had a difficult decision to make

adjective

Not easy or simple; hard to do or to understand

Usage examples:

It’s a difficult choice, but i’ve got to decide which job is better., he’s in a difficult situation…

adjective

Behaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy, deceitful, or insincere way.

Usage examples:

He was a dishonest hypocrite prepared to exploit his family

adjective

Not honest

Usage examples:

He’s been dishonest with us, and i’ll never trust him again.

adjective

Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.

Usage examples:

He was being somewhat disingenuous as well as cynical

adjective

Slightly dishonest; not speaking the complete truth

Usage examples:

A disingenuous compliment

adjective

Dishonest or unreliable.

Usage examples:

A dodgy second-hand car salesman

adjective

Deceitful.

Usage examples:

A duplicitous philanderer

adjective

Involving duplicity

Usage examples:

A duplicitous traitor/spy/politician

adjective

Causing embarrassment.

Usage examples:

An embarrassing muddle

verb

Cause (someone) to feel awkward, self-conscious, or ashamed.

Usage examples:

She wouldn't embarrass either of them by making a scene

adjective

Making you feel embarrassed

Usage examples:

An embarrassing situation, [ + to infinitive ] it's embarrassing to be caught telling a lie., my mo…

verb

(of a bird, bat, or insect) move through the air using wings.

Usage examples:

Close the door or the moths will fly in

noun

An opening at the crotch of a pair of trousers, closed with a zip or buttons and typically covered with a flap.

Usage examples:

Interesting alternatives are velcro straps or, if the shorts fit perfectly, stylish button flies.

noun

A flying insect of a large order characterized by a single pair of transparent wings and sucking (and often also piercing) mouthparts. flies are of great importance as vectors of disease.

Usage examples:

Almost 40 years ago ed lewis discovered a remarkable fly that differs from an ordinary fly by one e…

adjective

Resembling or likened to a fox.

Usage examples:

A terrier with prick ears and a foxy expression

adjective

Quick and intelligent

Usage examples:

The company’s foxy chairman outmaneuvered his competitors.

adjective

Having or showing sly or cunning intelligence.

Usage examples:

A supremely guileful and deceptive politician

adjective

Using cleverness in order to deceive someone or get what you want

Usage examples:

We could see that john's guileful smile and flattering talk were a disguise, and that he was really…

adjective

Difficult to understand; complicated.

Usage examples:

A long, involved conversation

verb

Have or include (something) as a necessary or integral part or result.

Usage examples:

My job involves a lot of travelling

adjective

Difficult to understand or deal with; complicated

Usage examples:

His story was so involved that i couldn’t follow it., maria was so involved in her work that she di…

adjective

Full of knots.

Usage examples:

Panelling in knotty pine

adjective

Cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, especially in politics.

Usage examples:

A whole range of outrageous machiavellian manoeuvres

noun

A person who schemes in a machiavellian way.

Usage examples:

As sartre admitted in his eulogy, ‘he reaffirmed the existence of moral fact within the heart of ou…

adjective

Using clever but often dishonest methods that deceive people so that you can win power or control

adjective

Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.

Usage examples:

A precarious ladder

adjective

In danger because not firmly fixed; likely to fall or suffer harm

Usage examples:

I climbed onto a precarious platform to get a better view., the vase was precariously perched on a …

adjective

Constituting or presenting a problem.

Usage examples:

The situation was problematic for teachers

noun

A thing that constitutes a problem.

Usage examples:

The problematics of artificial intelligence

adjective

Causing difficulty, or hard to deal with

Usage examples:

Social interactions are really problematic with a lot of children.

adjective

Full of the possibility of danger, failure, or loss.

Usage examples:

It was much too risky to try to disarm him

adjective

Involving the possibility that something bad might happen or that something will fail or lose money

Usage examples:

Even over the long run, stocks are risky., a risky asset/investment, the travel sector is risky for…

adjective

Given to or involved in making secret and underhand plans.

Usage examples:

They had mean, scheming little minds

noun

The activity or practice of making secret and underhand plans.

Usage examples:

His own colleagues accused him of scheming

verb

Make plans, especially in a devious way or with intent to do something illegal or wrong.

adjective

Quick to detect or respond to slight changes, signals, or influences.

Usage examples:

The new method of protein detection was more sensitive than earlier ones

noun

A person who is believed to respond to paranormal influences.

Usage examples:

Thus, the positive results demonstrated by the sensitives do not appear to have resulted from ubiqu…

adjective

Having or showing awareness and understanding, esp. of other people’s feelings and needs

Usage examples:

My experience made me very sensitive to the suffering of others., tom is extremely sensitive about …

adjective

(of a person or their manner) appearing deceitful or evasive.

Usage examples:

He had a shifty look about him

adjective

Of low quality

adjective

Done or operating in an impressively smooth and efficient way.

Usage examples:

Rangers have been entertaining crowds with a slick passing game

noun

An oil slick.

Usage examples:

The slick is a serious threat to marine life

verb

Make (one's hair) flat, smooth, and glossy by applying water, oil, or gel to it.

Usage examples:

His damp hair was slicked back

adjective

(of a person or their build) gracefully thin; slender.

Usage examples:

Her slim figure

verb

Make oneself thinner, especially by dieting.

Usage examples:

If he's overweight, he should slim

noun

A course or period of slimming.

Usage examples:

A sponsored slim

adjective

(of a surface or object) difficult to hold firmly or stand on because it is smooth, wet, or slimy.

Usage examples:

Slippery ice

adjective

Sliding easily or causing something to slide because of being wet, smooth, or oily

Usage examples:

The sidewalks were slippery with ice., choosing the perfect juror can be a slippery matter., he is …

adjective

Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.

Usage examples:

A sly, manipulative woman

adjective

Not letting others know true opinions or intentions, or dishonest

Usage examples:

She thought that by being sly, she could fool people., a cat can be a very sly animal., he winked s…

adjective

Derogatory or mocking in an indirect way.

Usage examples:

Snide remarks about my mother

noun

An unpleasant or underhand person.

Usage examples:

He's not a snide, he's better than most

adjective

Tending or designed to stick to things on contact.

Usage examples:

Sticky cakes and pastries

noun

A piece of paper with an adhesive strip on one side, used for leaving messages or reminders.

Usage examples:

Perfect pictures of sunny days, birthday parties and proms, of boyfriends, girlfriends and parents …

adjective

Difficult to deal with or solve

Usage examples:

A sticky situation, a sticky issue, you had better wash your sticky fingers.

adjective

(especially of a change or distinction) so delicate or precise as to be difficult to analyse or describe.

Usage examples:

His language expresses rich and subtle meanings

adjective

Not loud, bright, noticeable, or obvious

Usage examples:

Subtle flavors, a subtle shade of pink, the subtle nuances of english pronunciation are hard to mas…

adjective

Having many thorns or thorn bushes.

Usage examples:

Tangled thorny branches

adjective

Having a lot of thorns

Usage examples:

Roses are thorny shrubs., the thorny issue of illegal immigration remains unresolved.

adjective

(of a person) sensitive to being tickled.

Usage examples:

I'm ticklish on the feet

adjective

Having an uncertain, and possibly bad result

Usage examples:

At one point, the operation was touch-and-go.

noun

A manoeuvre in which an aircraft touches the ground as in landing and immediately takes off again.

Usage examples:

I tried a few touch-and-goes

adjective

Easily upset or offended; oversensitive.

Usage examples:

She's a little touchy about her age

adjective

Easily angered or made unhappy

Usage examples:

She’s touchy about people borrowing her books., politics can be a very touchy subject in some famil…

adjective

Not able to be relied on; not known or definite.

Usage examples:

An uncertain future

adjective

Unclear, or not sure

Usage examples:

She faces an uncertain future., we’re uncertain of the cause of death., [ u ] they live in uncertai…

adjective

(of a problem or issue) difficult and much debated; problematic.

Usage examples:

The vexed question of how much money the government is going to spend

verb

Make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried, especially with trivial matters.

Usage examples:

The memory of the conversation still vexed him

adjective

Troubling and difficult

Usage examples:

A vexed question

adjective

Skilled at gaining an advantage, especially deceitfully.

Usage examples:

His wily opponents

adjective

Quick to think of things, having a very good understanding of situations and possibilities, and often willing to use tricks to achieve an aim

Usage examples:

A wily hunter