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definitions

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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RELATED WORDS

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

Nearby words

  1. devils-on-horseback,
  2. deviltry,
  3. devilwood,
  4. devine,
  5. deviometer,
  6. deviously,
  7. devirginate,
  8. devisable,
  9. devisal,
  10. devise

Origin of devious

1590–1600; < Latin dēvius out-of-the way, erratic, equivalent to dē- de- + -vius adj. derivative of via way; see -ous
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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 Formsdeviously, 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
Word Origin and History for devious

devious

adj.

1590s, "out of the way," from Latin devius "out of the way, remote, off the main road," from de via (see deviate). Originally in the Latin literal sense; figurative sense of "deceitful" is first recorded 1630s. Related: Deviously; deviousness. Figurative senses of the Latin word were "retired, sequestered, wandering in the byways, foolish, inconsistent."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper