Tricksters

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who employ cunning strategies to deceive others while often providing amusement through their antics
2. Characters renowned for their cleverness and playful deceit that often leads to mischief or confusion
3. Persons known for using clever schemes to fool others, often in an amusing way

Etymology: "Tricksters" is the plural of "trickster," which is formed from the noun "trick" and the suffix "-ster." That suffix is a fairly old one. It descends from a Proto-West Germanic form, passed through Old English "-estre" and Middle English "-estere," and it was used to mark a person who performs or is associated with a particular activity. Its feminine-leaning origins survive in words like "spinster," the woman who spun, while "-ster" later came to label men too. The combination with "trick" gives the plain sense of someone who makes a habit of fooling or cheating others. Because the suffix is so productive and transparent, the word needs no special coinage story: it is simply an everyday English compound of a common verb-noun and a long-established agent ending.

Synonyms: cheaters, deceivers, con artists

Antonyms: honest people, truth-tellers