Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Not straightforward; shifty: a devious character.
- adj. Departing from the correct or accepted way; erring: achieved success by devious means.
- adj. Deviating from the straight or direct course; roundabout: a devious route.
- adj. Away from a main road or course; distant or removed.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Out of the direct or common way or track; circuitous; rambling: as, a devious course.
- Moving on or pursuing a winding or confused course.
- Erring; going astray from rectitude or the divine precepts.
- Synonyms Circuitous, roundabout, tortuous, indirect, erratic, roving, rambling, straying. See irregular.
Wiktionary
- adj. Deviating; not straightforward or honest, not frank; not standard.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Out of a straight line; winding; varying from directness.
- adj. Going out of the right or common course; going astray; erring; wandering.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading.
- adj. deviating from a straight course
- adj. characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive.
Etymologies
- From Latin dēvius, out-of-the-way : dē-, de- + via, road; see wegh- in Indo-European roots. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Ever since then, the word devious had a powerful memory association, which she now attached to Alan Daniels.”
“Boo Hoo, I preach hate and racism and now I think other people used it in 'devious' fashion. gimme a break. goodtimepolitics”
“Moreover, corporations have powerful “think tanks” that work to influence public opinion in devious ways, such as creating the image of “unbiased research” by a panel of well-paid scientific charlatans – most insidiously used to discredit global warming for the past decade.”
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“None of these characters is evil, none commits the transgression that precipitates the suicide, but all are driven, understandably yet horrifyingly, to behave in devious ways that wound others badly.”
“Ian: Well, it was a Ben Yalow job, and Ben is a very clever guy who is adept at using parliamentary procedure in devious ways.”
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“Sometimes he slunk along in devious loop-like curves, and again he leaped into the air and stood stock-still.”
“I never know, but I was told that bromid of potassium, gained in devious ways from the dispensary, was the dope they used.”
“I never knew, but I was told that bromide of potassium, gained in devious ways from the dispensary, was the dope they used.”
“To toil in devious ways with none who loved beside!”
“Police arrested the pair and forced them to apologise to the girl at a restorative justice meeting for what was described as a "devious plot".”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘devious’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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macabre
words associated with the macabre & horror.
( open list, randomness )
more:
http://www.wordnik.co...ghastly, grisly, culeus, silly, gruesome, horrid, morbid, angelic, shocking, hideous, ghoulish, frightful and 136 more...
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2nd part
prelude, ample, escalate, prototype, accession, acquisition, archives, zealot, indict, verdict, intimidating, timid and 454 more...
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common UA vocab. in US
Interesting, there is a traditional vocabulary of an Ukrainian, that differs from vocabulary of average American. It would be nice to explore it.
jackdaw, incongruous, cassock, vivid, magpie, humdrum, amongst, wonder, wandering, wheedling, wheedle, osseous and 368 more...
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LIT - Iliad - key words and protagonists
abduct, abducting, abductor, Achaea, Achaean, Achilles, advise, Aegean, Aegean Sea, Aegina, aegis, Aeneas and 713 more...
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Rlist
voracious, indiscriminate, steeped, replete, eminent, prognosticate, abound, automaton, paradoxical, chronoloigical, annal, amateur and 81 more...
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vocab #3
admonish, aghast, annihilate, benefactor, bestow, devioud, devious, heed, mortal, muse, pioneer, plague and 3 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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Vocab3
admonish, aghast, annihilate, benefactor, bestow, devious, devoid, heed, mortal, muse, pioneer, plague and 3 more...
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Neww
specious, disdainfully, vehemently, in lieu of, dismissive, perpetual, preposterous, impasse, fathom, conversely, repugnant, clogged and 142 more...
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Words I Know
List of most of the words I've learned
garner, abase, abate, abdicate, abduct, aberration, abet, abhor, abide, abject, abjure, abnegation and 1046 more...
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Just 'cause I like 'em, D
dodecahedron, din, diglyceride, dysphotopsia, decoction, deboss, diatonic, dithyramb, divagate, discalced, dishdasha, daft and 281 more...
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Words of the Day
glabella, chirotony, nook-shotten, crapehanger, filemot, swirlie, egosurf, lexiphanicism, Ruritanian, stichometry, chrononaut, faldstool and 2050 more...
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SAT PSAT ALPHABETICAL D
dais, dalliance, dank, daunt, daunting, dawdled, dearth, debacle, debase, debauchery, debilitate, debonair and 141 more...
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Sat Vocabulary List
abandon, abash, abate, abjure, ablution, abnegate, abominable, aboriginal, abortive, abrade, abridge, abrogate and 2155 more...
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ash
ash
abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abide, abject, abjure and 4874 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for devious.
oroboros Sounds like D V S. May 16, 2008