devious

[ dee-vee-uhs ]

/ ˈdi vi əs /

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See 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.

SYNONYMS FOR devious

1 roundabout, tortuous, involved.

4 subtle, cunning, crafty, artful, sly.

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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

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. 2021

How to use devious in a sentence

So just because there was a suspicious van that pulled up to a vote-counting center doesn't mean that anything more devious occurred than that a photographer was unloading his equipment.
If there is any real evidence of fraud, Mr. President, it’s time to put up|Philip Bump|November 28, 2020|Washington Post
But this hopeful breakthrough turned out to be no more than a deviously effective pretext for his escape.
Will Lapid And Bennett Free Israel's "Chained Women"?|Tova Hartman, Charlie Buckholtz|March 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Her parentage is shrouded in mystery, and the story concerns the secret that deviously works to the surface.
The Eternal City|Hall Caine
The members of the Exiles Club should disperse deviously, and as soon as Smiths rotten schooners can take them.
The Exiles of Faloo|Barry Pain

Deviously, the race protected itself, or something higher watched over it to assure human continuity.
The Impossible Voyage Home|Floyd L. Wallace
It wound deviously, as though Huxham wished to make the approach to his abode as difficult as possible.
The Solitary Farm|Fergus Hume
Odd little devils of whirlwinds, marked by columnar pillars of dust, danced deviously across the fields and along the trails.
Desert Conquest|A. M. Chisholm

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

devious

adjective

SYNONYMS FOR devious

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Origin of devious

OTHER WORDS FROM devious

Words related to devious

How to use devious in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for devious

adjective

Derived forms of devious

Word Origin for devious