trickster
Folklore's sly schemer
A trickster is someone who deceives or plays tricks on others, often through cunning or mischief rather than force.
The term carries a dual character: it can describe an ordinary prankster or con artist, but it also names a significant figure in world mythology—characters like Coyote, Loki, or Anansi who disrupt order, blur boundaries, and sometimes accidentally benefit humanity through their schemes.
He's a trickster who always has an angle.
Professional fraud perpetrator
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- impostorOne feigning another's identity
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
- swindlerPerson who deceives for money
hoaxer · scammer · grifter · cheat · faker · phony · huckster · mountebank
Someone who plays tricks
- impishPlayfully mischievous in manner
- puckishWhimsically inclined to tease
- roguishMischievously charming
- playfulInclined toward fun
troublemaker · scamp · rascal · rapscallion · shenanigans · tomfoolery · antics · monkeyshines
Norse god of deception
- AnansiWest African spider deity
- CoyoteNamed trickster deity
- RavenDark-feathered namesake
- HermesOlympian messenger deity
Puck · Prometheus · Reynard · Maui · Br'er Rabbit · Monkey King · Legba · Eris
Cleverly deceptive
- wilySkilled at deception
- craftyCleverly deceptive
- shrewdPractically clever, perceptive
- artfulCleverly deceptive
guileful · scheming · devious · manipulative · calculating · canny · astute · clever
Skillful manual deception
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
- magicSupernatural or illusory power
- conjuringPerforming magical illusions
- prestidigitationSkillful hand-based illusions
vanishing · illusionist · smoke and mirrors · deception · shell game · disappearing act · hocus-pocus · legerdemain
Dishonest, unscrupulous person
- knaveDishonest, unprincipled person
- rascalLovable troublemaker
- scampMischievous young person
- rapscallionMischievous person, usually endearing
ne'er-do-well · scalawag · villain · miscreant · blackguard · cad · reprobate · good-for-nothing
con artist
Professional fraud perpetrator
- fraudsterCriminal deceiver for gain
- impostorOne feigning another's identity
- charlatanFaker claiming false expertise
swindler · hoaxer · scammer · grifter · cheat · faker · phony · huckster · mountebank · flimflam
prankster
Someone who plays tricks
- impishPlayfully mischievous in manner
- puckishWhimsically inclined to tease
- roguishMischievously charming
playful · troublemaker · scamp · rascal · rapscallion · shenanigans · tomfoolery · antics · monkeyshines · high jinks
Loki
Norse god of deception
Hermes · Puck · Prometheus · Reynard · Maui · Br'er Rabbit · Monkey King · Legba · Eris · Set
sly
Cleverly deceptive
artful · guileful · scheming · devious · manipulative · calculating · canny · astute · clever · subtle
sleight of hand
Skillful manual deception
- misdirectionIntentional focus manipulation
- magicSupernatural or illusory power
- conjuringPerforming magical illusions
prestidigitation · vanishing · illusionist · smoke and mirrors · deception · shell game · disappearing act · hocus-pocus · legerdemain · distraction
scoundrel
Dishonest, unscrupulous person
rapscallion · ne'er-do-well · scalawag · villain · miscreant · blackguard · cad · reprobate · good-for-nothing · lovable rogue
- deitiesZeus, Odin, Thor, goddess, Ra
- folklorefairy tales, fairytales, folktales, folk tales, folk tale
- Arabian NightsAladdin, Scheherazade, Ali Baba, Arabian Nights, Sinbad
- picaresque elementsrogue, scoundrel, antihero, vagabond, rascal
- schemersschemer, manipulator, conniver, plotter, intriguer
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, tall tales, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives
trickstertruth-teller
One who speaks accurately
straight shooter · advisor · trustworthy · faithful · faithful friend
tricksterhero
One admired for courage
saint · noble hero · savior · champion · noble knight
- confidence tricksterOne who defrauds through charm
- trickster taleStory where cleverness wins
- trickster storiesNarratives starring clever deceivers
- dirty trickster
- trickster figureMyth's chaos-bringing protagonist