trickster

/ˈtrɪkstə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · [trˈɪkstɚ] /ˈtrɪkstər/ (ame, ipa) · [trˈɪkstɚ] /ˈtrik-stər How to pronounce trickster (audio)/ (ame, mw)

trickster — 名詞

  • trickstersingular
  • trickstersplural

1. A person who uses clever tricks to fool, cheat, or play jokes on other people.

1.名詞B2
釋義

騙子；搗蛋鬼

以計謀欺騙或捉弄他人的人

A person who uses clever tricks to fool, cheat, or play jokes on other people.

例句

Dmitri lost his savings to a trickster who promised him a cheap apartment in the city centre.

Dmitri 把積蓄全給了一個騙子，對方承諾給他一間市中心的便宜公寓。

trickster + who-clause describing the deception

Mei-Ling discovered that the man selling watches at the market was a trickster.

Mei-Ling 發現在市場賣手錶的那個人是個騙子。

同義詞
  • deceiver

    broader and more formal; does not imply cleverness or playfulness

  • con artist

    specifically gains trust before cheating, usually for money; more modern and criminal in tone

  • fraudster

    purely about financial or legal deception; formal register

  • prankster

    only for playful, harmless tricks; never for serious deception

反義詞

用法筆記

Can describe anyone from a harmless prankster to a serious fraudster; surrounding context signals the severity.

常見錯誤

❌She's just a liar who took everyone's money.
✅She's a real trickster who took everyone's money.
💡'liar' only means someone who tells lies; 'trickster' implies a whole scheme of clever deception.
❌A trickster stole my credit card details online.
✅A scammer stole my credit card details online.
💡'trickster' sounds old-fashioned for modern fraud; 'scammer' or 'con artist' fits better in contemporary contexts.

2. A character found in the traditional stories of many cultures who survives by be

2.名詞C1
釋義

神話騙徒

民間傳說中以狡猾詭計著稱的角色

A character found in the traditional stories of many cultures who survives by being clever and deceitful, often outwitting gods, animals, or other people.

例句

Anansi the spider is West Africa's best-known trickster, using clever stories to defeat stronger foes.

蜘蛛 Anansi 是西非最著名的神話騙徒，用巧妙的故事擊敗更強大的對手。

trickster as cultural archetype: Anansi

Coyote the trickster appears throughout Native American folklore as both a creator and a fool.

郊狼這個神話騙徒出現在美國原住民的民間故事中，既是創造者也是傻瓜。

Coyote as dual-nature trickster

同義詞
  • trickster figure

    used in academic writing about folklore; interchangeable with sense 2

用法筆記

Always refers to a character in traditional stories or mythology; never used for a real person who tricks others. Distinguish from sense 1 (PERSON WHO DECEIVES).