Slur vs. Trick — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 24, 2023
A slur is a derogatory or insulting remark; a trick is a cunning act intended to deceive or outwit.
Difference Between Slur and Trick
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
The term "Slur" generally refers to a derogatory or insulting remark made to demean or belittle someone or a group of people, typically based on their race, religion, gender, or other characteristics. It is a form of verbal abuse or discrimination and can have severe consequences, impacting individuals and communities by reinforcing harmful stereotypes and prejudices.
On the other hand, "Trick" refers to a deceptive act or strategy designed to deceive someone or achieve a specific outcome, often by cunning or deceitful means. This can range from simple pranks or magic tricks intended to amuse, to more malicious acts intended to mislead or defraud individuals.
"Slur" implies a negative connotation, indicating disrespect, prejudice, or discrimination against an individual or a group, often with the intent to harm the reputation or dignity of the subject. It is generally spoken and is associated with hate speech, creating a hostile environment and perpetuating negative stereotypes and biases.
Conversely, "Trick" is generally more neutral, as it can refer to both benign and malicious acts of deception. It can be playful, as in the case of a magic trick or a practical joke, or it can be harmful, as in tricking someone out of their money or possessions. The intent behind a trick can vary widely, ranging from entertainment to exploitation.
In essence, while "Slur" is a demeaning expression targeted at individuals or groups, affecting their dignity and self-respect, "Trick" is an act of deception, affecting one's perception of reality and potentially leading to loss or harm, depending on the intentions behind it.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A derogatory or insulting remark.
A cunning act intended to deceive or outwit.
Context of Usage
Generally used in discriminatory contexts.
Can be used in playful or malicious contexts.
Part of Speech
Noun
Noun
Connotation
Negative, derogatory.
Neutral, can be positive or negative.
Function
To demean or belittle someone.
To deceive, amuse, or achieve a specific goal.
Compare with Definitions
Slur
A smear or stain on one's reputation.
A single slur can tarnish an individual's public image.
Trick
A clever or cunning act designed to deceive or outwit someone.
The magician performed a card trick that baffled the audience.
Slur
An unclear or sloppily played musical note.
The musician was criticized for the slurs in his trumpet performance.
Trick
A playful or mischievous act intended to surprise or amuse.
The children played a harmless trick on their teacher.
Slur
To pronounce indistinctly.
Trick
A skillful or dexterous act performed for entertainment.
The skateboarder executed a complex trick with ease.
Slur
To talk about disparagingly or insultingly.
Trick
A deceptive or fraudulent scheme.
Beware of online tricks designed to steal your personal information.
Slur
To pass over lightly or carelessly; treat without due consideration.
Trick
A cunning act or scheme intended to deceive or outwit someone
He's a double-dealer capable of any mean trick
Slur
To glide over (a series of notes) smoothly without a break.
Trick
A peculiar or characteristic habit or mannerism
She had a trick of clipping off certain words and phrases
Slur
To mark with a slur.
Trick
(in bridge, whist, and similar card games) a sequence of cards forming a single round of play. One card is laid down by each player, the highest card being the winner.
Slur
(Printing) To blur or smear.
Trick
A prostitute's client.
Slur
A disparaging remark; an aspersion.
Trick
A sailor's turn at the helm, usually lasting for two or four hours.
Slur
A slurred utterance or sound.
Trick
Cunningly deceive or outwit
Many people have been tricked by villains with false identity cards
Slur
A curved line connecting notes on a score to indicate that they are to be played or sung legato.
Trick
Sketch (a coat of arms) in outline, with the colours indicated by letters or signs.
Slur
A passage played or sung in this manner.
Trick
Intended or used to deceive or mystify, or to create an illusion
A trick question
Slur
(Printing) A smeared or blurred impression.
Trick
Liable to fail; defective
A trick knee
Slur
A mark, stain, or smear; (by extension) a slight occasion of reproach.
Trick
An act or procedure intended to achieve an end by deceptive or fraudulent means.
Slur
An insinuation or innuendo.
Trick
A mischievous action; a prank
Likes to play tricks on the other students in the dorm.
Slur
An act of running one's words together; poor verbal articulation.
Trick
A stupid, disgraceful, or childish act
Don't let the kids pull any tricks while we're gone.
Slur
A disparaging insult or slight, particularly one used to denigrate a specific group.
A racial slur
Trick
A peculiar trait or characteristic; a mannerism
“Mimicry is the trick by which a moth or other defenseless insect comes to look like a wasp” (Marston Bates).
Slur
(music) A set of notes that are played legato, without separate articulation.
Trick
A peculiar event with unexpected, often deceptive results
“One of history's cruelest tricks is to take words that sounded good at the time and make them sound pretty stupid” (David Owen).
Slur
(music) The symbol indicating a legato passage, written as an arc over the slurred notes (not to be confused with a tie).
Trick
A deceptive or illusive appearance; an illusion
This painting plays tricks on the eyes.
Slur
(obsolete) A trick or deception.
Trick
A special skill; a knack
Is there a trick to getting this window to stay up?.
Slur
In knitting machines, a device for depressing the sinkers successively by passing over them.
Trick
A convention or specialized skill peculiar to a particular field of activity
Learned the tricks of the winemaking trade.
Slur
To insult or slight.
Trick
A feat of magic or legerdemain.
Slur
To run together; to articulate poorly.
To slur syllables;
He slurs his speech when he is drunk.
Trick
A difficult, dexterous, or clever act designed to amuse
Does your dog do any tricks?.
Slur
(music) To play legato or without separate articulation; to connect (notes) smoothly.
Trick
All the cards played in a single round, one from each player.
Slur
To soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace.
Trick
One such round.
Slur
To cover over; to disguise; to conceal; to pass over lightly or with little notice.
Trick
A period or turn of duty, as at the helm of a ship.
Slur
To cheat, as by sliding a die; to trick.
Trick
(Slang) A prison term.
Slur
To blur or double, as an impression from type; to mackle.
Trick
An act of prostitution.
Slur
To soil; to sully; to contaminate; to disgrace.
Trick
A prostitute's customer.
Slur
To disparage; to traduce.
Trick
A session carried out by a prostitute with a client.
Slur
To cover over; to disguise; to conceal; to pass over lightly or with little notice.
With periods, points, and tropes, he slurs his crimes.
Trick
(Slang) A robbery or theft.
Slur
To cheat, as by sliding a die; to trick.
To slur men of what they fought for.
Trick
To cheat or deceive or to practice trickery or deception.
Slur
To pronounce indistinctly; as, to slur syllables; to slur one's words.
Trick
Of, relating to, or involving tricks.
Slur
To sing or perform in a smooth, gliding style; to connect smoothly in performing, as several notes or tones.
Trick
Capable of performing tricks
A trick dog.
Slur
To blur or double, as an impression from type; to mackle.
Trick
Designed or made for doing a trick or tricks
Trick cards.
Trick dice.
Slur
A mark or stain; hence, a slight reproach or disgrace; a stigma; a reproachful intimation; an innuendo.
Trick
Weak, defective, or liable to fail
A trick knee.
Slur
A trick played upon a person; an imposition.
Trick
Something designed to fool or swindle.
It was just a trick to say that the house was underpriced.
Slur
A mark, thus [
Trick
A single element of a magician's (or any variety entertainer's) act; a magic trick.
And for my next trick, I will pull a wombat out of a duffel bag.
Slur
In knitting machines, a contrivance for depressing the sinkers successively by passing over them.
Trick
An entertaining difficult physical action.
That's a nice skateboard, but can you do any tricks on it?
Slur
(music) a curved line spanning notes that are to be played legato
Trick
An effective, clever or quick way of doing something.
Tricks of the trade;
What's the trick of getting this chair to fold up?
Slur
A disparaging remark;
In the 19th century any reference to female sexuality was considered a vile aspersion
It is difficult for a woman to understand a man's sensitivity to any slur on his virility
Trick
Mischievous or annoying behavior; a prank.
The tricks of boys
They played a crude trick on the teacher.
Slur
A blemish made by dirt;
He had a smudge on his cheek
Trick
(dated) A particular habit or manner; a peculiarity; a trait.
A trick of drumming with the fingers; a trick of frowning
Slur
Play smoothly or legato;
The pianist slurred the most beautiful passage in the sonata
Trick
A knot, braid, or plait of hair.
Slur
Speak disparagingly of; e.g., make a racial slur;
Your comments are slurring your co-workers
Trick
(card games) A sequence in which each player plays a card and a winning play is determined.
I was able to take the second trick with the queen of hearts.
Slur
Utter indistinctly
Trick
(slang) A sex act, chiefly one performed for payment; an act of prostitution.
Turn a trick
Turn tricks
Slur
Become vague or indistinct;
The distinction between the two theories blurred
Trick
(slang) A customer or client of a prostitute.
As the businessman rounded the corner, she thought, "Here comes another trick."
Slur
An insulting remark intended to damage someone's reputation.
His use of a racial slur during the debate caused a public outcry.
Trick
A term of abuse.
Slur
A derogatory statement expressing disdain or disrespect for someone’s race, religion, or other characteristics.
The comedian apologized for making a slur against a minority group.
Trick
A daily period of work, especially in shift-based jobs.
Slur
A damaging accusation or piece of misinformation.
The unfounded slur damaged the politician’s reputation.
Trick
(nautical) A sailor's spell of work at the helm, usually two hours long.
Trick
A toy; a trifle; a plaything.
Trick
(transitive) To fool; to cause to believe something untrue; to deceive.
You tried to trick me when you said that house was underpriced.
Trick
(heraldry) To draw (as opposed to blazon - to describe in words).
Trick
To dress; to decorate; to adorn fantastically; often followed by up, off, or out.
Trick
Involving trickery or deception.
Trick photography
Trick
Able to perform tricks.
A trick pony
Trick
Defective or unreliable.
A trick knee
Trick
Stylish or cool.
Wow, your new sportscar is so trick.
Trick
An artifice or stratagem; a cunning contrivance; a sly procedure, usually with a dishonest intent; as, a trick in trade.
He comes to me for counsel, and I show him a trick.
I know a trick worth two of that.
Trick
A sly, dexterous, or ingenious procedure fitted to puzzle or amuse; as, a bear's tricks; a juggler's tricks.
Trick
Mischievous or annoying behavior; a prank; as, the tricks of boys.
Trick
A particular habit or manner; a peculiarity; a trait; as, a trick of drumming with the fingers; a trick of frowning.
The trick of that voice I do well remember.
He hath a trick of CŒur de Lion's face.
Trick
A knot, braid, or plait of hair.
Trick
The whole number of cards played in one round, and consisting of as many cards as there are players.
On one nice trick depends the general fate.
Trick
A turn; specifically, the spell of a sailor at the helm, - usually two hours.
Trick
A toy; a trifle; a plaything.
Trick
To deceive by cunning or artifice; to impose on; to defraud; to cheat; as, to trick another in the sale of a horse.
Trick
To dress; to decorate; to set off; to adorn fantastically; - often followed by up, off, or out.
People lavish it profusely in tricking up their children in fine clothes, and yet starve their minds.
They are simple, but majestic, records of the feelings of the poet; as little tricked out for the public eye as his diary would have been.
Trick
To draw in outline, as with a pen; to delineate or distinguish without color, as arms, etc., in heraldry.
They forget that they are in the statutes: . . . there they are tricked, they and their pedigrees.
Trick
A cunning or deceitful action or device;
He played a trick on me
He pulled a fast one and got away with it
Trick
A period of work or duty
Trick
An attempt to get you to do something foolish or imprudent;
That offer was a dirty trick
Trick
A ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement
Trick
An illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers
Trick
Deceive somebody;
We tricked the teacher into thinking that class would be cancelled next week
Trick
A strategy or technique used to achieve a desired result.
He taught me a handy trick to solve the puzzle quickly.
Common Curiosities
Does a Slur always have a negative connotation?
Yes, slurs are inherently negative and are meant to demean or belittle.
Can a Trick be benign and not intended to harm?
Absolutely, many tricks, like practical jokes or magic tricks, are benign and meant to amuse.
Can a Trick be used for entertainment purposes like in magic tricks?
Yes, tricks are often used for entertainment, such as in magic shows.
Is using a Slur considered discriminatory?
Yes, using a slur is discriminatory and can be harmful.
Does a Slur reflect the speaker’s prejudice?
Yes, a slur typically reflects the speaker’s prejudices and biases.
Can the term Slur be used for a non-derogatory remark?
No, a slur is specifically a derogatory or insulting remark.
Is the intention behind a Trick always to deceive?
Not always, tricks can also be playful or entertaining without deceptive intent.
Is a Slur only verbal?
While slurs are typically verbal, they can also be conveyed through writing or other forms of communication.
Can a Trick have a malicious intent?
Yes, some tricks are intended to deceive and can be malicious.
Can the purpose of a Trick be to surprise or astonish?
Yes, many tricks, like magic tricks, aim to surprise or astonish.
Is a Trick always visible or can it be an unseen strategy?
A trick can be both visible, like a magic trick, or unseen, like a strategic maneuver.
Can a Slur be unintentional?
Typically, slurs are intentional, but people may use them unwittingly, reflecting ingrained biases.
Can Slur be related to a careless utterance?
Slurs are derogatory, not merely careless; they are intended to demean.
Can a Trick be a clever or resourceful strategy?
Yes, the term "trick" can refer to a clever or resourceful strategy or technique.
Can using a Slur lead to social and professional repercussions?
Absolutely, using a slur can lead to severe social and professional repercussions, including loss of reputation and legal consequences.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
