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devious

[ dee-vee-uhs ]
/ ˈdi vi əs /
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adjective

departing from the most direct way; circuitous; indirect: a devious course.
without definite course; vagrant: a devious current.
departing from the proper or accepted way; roundabout: a devious procedure.
not straightforward; shifty or crooked: a devious scheme to acquire wealth.

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Origin of devious

1590–1600; <Latin dēvius out-of-the way, erratic, equivalent to dē-de- + -vius adj. derivative of via way; see -ous

OTHER WORDS FROM devious

Words nearby devious

deviltry, devilwood, devine, De Vinne, deviometer, devious, devisable, devisal, devise, devisee, devisor
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to devious

fraudulent, duplicitous, wily, deceitful, sneaky, shrewd, insidious, insincere, sly, calculating, underhanded, circuitous, misleading, artful, crooked, double-dealing, errant, erring, evasive, fishy

Example sentences from the Web for devious

British Dictionary definitions for devious

devious
/ (ˈdiːvɪəs) /

adjective

not sincere or candid; deceitful; underhand
(of a route or course of action) rambling; indirect; roundabout
going astray from a proper or accepted way; erring

Derived forms of devious

deviously, adverbdeviousness, noun

Word Origin for devious

C16: from Latin dēvius lying to one side of the road, from de- + via road
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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