devil's advocate

American  

[dev-uhlz ad-vuh-kit] / ˈdɛv əlz ˈæd və kɪt /

noun

1. a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause for the sake of argument or to expose it to a thorough examination.

2. Also called Promoter of the Faith.  Roman Catholic Church. an official appointed to present arguments against a proposed beatification or canonization of a beatus.

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devil's advocate British  

noun

1. a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular view, often for the sake of argument

2. Technical name: promotor fidei.  RC Church the official appointed to put the case against the beatification or canonization of a candidate

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devil's advocate Idioms  

1. One who argues against a cause or position either for the sake of argument or to help determine its validity. For example, My role in the campaign is to play devil's advocate to each new policy before it's introduced to the public. This term comes from the Roman Catholic Church, where advocatus diaboli (Latin for “devil's advocate”) signifies an official who is appointed to present arguments against a proposed canonization or beatification. It was transferred to wider use in the mid-1700s.

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Etymology

Origin of devil's advocate

First recorded in 1750–60; translation of New Latin advocātus diabolī; see advocate ( def. ), diabolic ( def. )

Example Sentences

More to the point, and to play my own Devil’s advocate for a moment, what about the pesky near-term?

From Forbes • May 30, 2013

All of the points above are challengeable, and - playing Devil's advocate - I did challenge him on some.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 2012

The author, Myron C. Fagan, seems to have turned Devil's advocate, for no reason at all.

From Time Magazine Archive

In other words, it was wrong for Galileo to believe the Copernican theory and he must not argue in its favour, even from the perspective of, as it were, Devil’s advocate.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

He said that, in listening to the senator from Maryland, he was "reminded of a character, known to the Roman Church, who always figures at the canonization of a saint as the Devil's advocate."

From Twenty Years of Congress, Vol. 1 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860 by Blaine, James Gillespie