devious

[ dee-vee-uhs ]

/ ˈdi vi əs /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR devious ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Nearby words

devils-on-horseback, deviltry, devilwood, devine, deviometer, devious, devisable, devisal, devise, devisee, devisor

Origin of devious

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

SYNONYMS FOR devious

1 roundabout, tortuous, involved.

4 subtle, cunning, crafty, artful, sly.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR devious ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

de·vi·ous·ly, adverbde·vi·ous·ness, nounnon·de·vi·ous, adjectivenon·de·vi·ous·ly, adverb

non·de·vi·ous·ness, nounun·de·vi·ous, adjectiveun·de·vi·ous·ly, adverbun·de·vi·ous·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for devious

In ways large and small, devious and immature, ingenious and inspiring, she struggled to escape.
The Day the Fairytale Died|Marilyn Johnson|July 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rocket teamed up with the Incredible Hulk to overthrow Judson Jakes, a devious mole.
11 Things to Know About Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy|Marina Watts|February 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I love college football,” she tells me with a devious grin.
Meet the Pint-Sized Pro Golfers of Netflix’s ‘The Short Game’|Abby Haglage|December 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Many of those who voted for President Clinton, Bork averred, did so because they were rooked by devious liberal lies.
Speed Read: Best Bits From Robert Bork’s ‘Slouching Towards Gomorrah’|Michael Moynihan|December 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Its intentions were not dark and devious, nor threatening our freedoms.
How to Make a $50 Bill Worth Millions|Barry Levinson|March 30, 2010|DAILY BEAST
They struck into the mountains, following a cattle trail that wound upward with devious twists.
Crooked Trails and Straight|William MacLeod Raine
So up and down, through rough and smooth, in storm and sunshine--all these devious tracks lead home at last.
M. or N. "Similia similibus curantur."|G.J. Whyte-Melville
And the two soon found themselves plunging into the shadows of the streets, threading their devious way to the convent.
Agnes of Sorrento|Harriet Beecher Stowe
By devious ways it had broken through the censorship of the frontier in cunning cipher.
The Last Shot|Frederick Palmer
If we do not direct our brain it will run riot and lead us into devious and dangerous paths.
Confessions of a Neurasthenic|William Taylor Marrs

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

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