Sneaky
Sneaky adjective - Given to acting in secret and to concealing one's intentions.
Usage example: his opponent's sneaky campaign manager was clearly up to something
Tricky is a synonym for sneaky in sly topic. In some cases you can use "Tricky" instead an adjective "Sneaky", when it comes to topics like underhanded.
Tricky
Tricky adjective - Clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means.
Usage example: he's a tricky one, so be careful when dealing with him
Mutual synonyms
Both words in one sentence
- In this case, Red believes that sufficient firepower will end up breaking the enemy, while Blue looks for sneaky and tricky approaches.
Source: Analysis / Red Oni, Blue Oni -
Pipefoxes in Pathfinder are a variation, in that they're clever and sneaky (the sneaky part being helped by the fact that they are very small creatures), but more scholarly than tricky.
Source: Cunning Like a Fox -
Animal Stereotypes: Wolves are big and scary, foxes are sneaky, ravens are tricky, Cats Are Mean, hedgehogs are prickly, and mules are background characters.
Source: Literature / Dust City
Cite this Source
Tricky and Sneaky. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/sneaky/tricky
Sneaky & Tricky. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/sneaky/tricky>.
Tricky or Sneaky. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/sneaky/tricky.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "sneaky" and "tricky" have occurred on timeline