devious
Americanadjective
-
departing from the most direct way; circuitous; indirect.
a devious course.
- Synonyms:
- involved, tortuous, roundabout
-
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.
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
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of devious
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Latin dēvius “out-of-the-way, erratic,” from dē- de- + -vius (adjective derivative of via “way”)
Explanation
Devious describes someone who tends to lie and to trick other people. Devious credit card companies lure younger and younger people into debt with offers of low interest rates and even just free t-shirts. Devious sometimes just describes a path that is not direct, a meaning that can be traced to the Latin adjective devius, "out of the way," formed from the prefix de-, "off" plus via, "way, road." The related English verb deviate means to do something different or unexpected, and the adjective deviant describes behavior that is not considered normal or morally correct.
Vocabulary lists containing devious
Esperanza Rising
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"The Lady, or the Tiger?" by Frank R. Stockton
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Born a Crime
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Salton is devious and untrustworthy, but is Batter’s only clear path to a promotion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The idea to accommodate Nazi generals in comfort to lure them into indiscretions was a "brilliantly devious strategy", Albano said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Mr. West makes him a rather dubious character, unnecessarily: Is he adolescently insecure or devious?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
The latest series of The Traitors is coming to an end after weeks of wild accusations, wilder betrayals and Claudia Winkleman's devious looks-to-camera.
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
But Mollie’s diabetes seemed to have provided an even more devious way to deliver the poison.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
