What does trickiest mean?
Trickiest is the superlative of “tricky” and means more troublesome than another comparable person, thing, or situation. It is used chiefly for problems that are difficult to understand, manage, or solve, but it can also describe the most deceptive, ambiguous, or unpredictable option. The word often appears before a noun, as in “the trickiest challenge,” and can stand alone after a verb such as “is,” meaning “the most difficult one.” Its wording is usually clear rather than highly technical, making it useful in both everyday conversation and explanatory prose. In comparison, “trickiest” suggests that the difficulty may involve cleverness or deception, not merely effort. The form is also flexible enough to describe a puzzle, a practical problem, or a person whose intentions are difficult to read. Used well, it conveys that something is the supreme challenge within a clearly understood comparison.
adjectiveThe superlative of “tricky”: more difficult to understand, manage, or solve than other comparable things. It can also mean the most deceptive, ambiguous, or unpredictable.
- Most difficult to understand, manage, or solve.
- Most deceptive, ambiguous, or unpredictable.
"The final stage of the repair was the trickiest part, but the team found a clever solution."
"Negotiating the contract proved to be the trickiest part of the project."
"The team's most experienced player was also the trickiest to coach."
One word marks the point where a clever solution stops being clever and starts being a headache.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
How trickiest is actually used
This is the standard superlative form and is neutral in tone. It normally requires “the” or another determiner when used with a noun and can also stand alone, as in “That is the trickiest.”
Easily confused with trickiest
“Tricky” is the base adjective, while “trickiest” is its superlative and therefore identifies the most tricky member of a group or comparison.