Definitions for Devious
ˈdi vi əsde·vi·ous

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.6 / 11 votes

1. devious, obliqueadjective

   indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading

   "used devious means to achieve success"; "gave oblique answers to direct questions"; "oblique political maneuvers"

2. devious, shiftyadjective

   characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive

   "a devious character"; "shifty eyes"

3. devious, circuitous, roundaboutadjective

   deviating from a straight course

   "a scenic but devious route"; "a long and circuitous journey by train and boat"; "a roundabout route avoided rush-hour traffic"

WiktionaryRate this definition:3.5 / 2 votes

1. deviousadjective

   Deviating; not straightforward or honest, not frank; not standard.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Deviousadjective

   Etymology: devius, Latin.

   1. Out of the common track.

   Creusa kept behind: by choice we stray
   Through ev’ry dark and ev’ry devious way. John Dryden, Æn.

   In this minute devious subject I have been necessitated to explain myself in more words, than to some few may seem needful. William Holder, Elements of Speech.

   2. Wandering; roving; rambling.

   Every muse,
   And every blooming pleasure, wait without
   To bless the wildly devious morning walk. James Thomson, Summer.

   3. Erring; going astray from rectitude.

   One devious step, at first setting out, frequently leads a person into a wilderness of doubt and error. Clarissa.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. devious

   Devious refers to behaving or acting in a way that is not straightforward or direct, typically to achieve something in a dishonest or manipulative manner. It can also describe a path or route that is not straight or direct, often taking a longer, winding route.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Deviousadjective

   out of a straight line; winding; varying from directness; as, a devious path or way

2. Deviousadjective

   going out of the right or common course; going astray; erring; wandering; as, a devious step

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Devious

   dē′vi-us, adj. from or out of the way: roundabout: erring.—adv. Dē′viously.—n. Dē′viousness. [L. devius. See Deviate.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. devious

   Devious people or plans and methods are dishonest, often in a complicated way, but often also clever and successful;using indirect ways to get what you want, esp. without showing your real purpose;WANDERING, ROUNDABOUT;moving without a fixed course : ERRANT, OUT-OF-THE-WAY, REMOTE,: deviating from a right, accepted, or common course;sly ,scheming,calculating,tricky,crooked(informal),indirect,treacherous,dishonest,wily,insidious,evasive,deceitful,insincere,double-dealing,Slimy,rambling, tortuous, deviating,excursive,calculating,surreptitious,not straightforward : CUNNING, DECEPTIVE;artful, beguiling, cagey (also cagy), crafty,cute, designing, dodgy [chiefly British],foxy,guileful,shrewd, slick,subtle;dishonest and clever,Marked by treachery or deceit:disingenuous, duplicitous,lubricious,shifty,sneaky, underhand, underhanded.Not taking a direct or straight line or course:anfractuous, circuitous, circular,oblique.Without a fixed or regular course:erratic,stray.

   
   

   Submitted by anonymous on June 25, 2020  

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce Devious?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Devious in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Devious in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Devious in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of Devious in a Sentence

1. Charles Krauthammer:

   If we insist that public life be reserved for those whose personal history is pristine, we are not going to get paragons of virtue running our affairs. We will get the very rich, who contract out the messy things in life the very dull, who have nothing to hide and nothing to show and the very devious, expert at covering their tracks and ambitious enough to risk their discovery.

2. Maurice Blackburn lawyer Elizabeth O'Shea:

   Uber sells the idea that it does things differently, but in reality and as we allege, this has meant operating unlawfully, using devious programs like' Greyball,'.

3. Jon Voight:

   There are a lot of conservatives in Hollywood, and they’re not very welcome, Voight told the December issue of Cigar Afficiando. It’s a big surprise that we’ve come to this juncture where people with patriotic thoughts could not find a home in Hollywood. i think the word ‘progressive’ is a very devious term. It was created as a substitute for ‘communist,’ he said. What they propose is the reverse of progress. It’s some that that does taste of communism and Karl Marx’s pernicious philosophy.

4. Lewis Mumford:

   Unable to create a meaningful life for itself, the personality takes its own revenge: from the lower depths comes a regressive form of spontaneity: raw animality forms a counterpoise to the meaningless stimuli and the vicarious life to which the ordinary man is conditioned. Getting spiritual nourishment from this chaos of events, sensations, and devious interpretations is the equivalent of trying to pick through a garbage pile for food.

5. Alexandra Filindra:

   They are part of an ideological system, [ and believe ] that the other side -- in this case, the Democrats -- are devious and intent on taking political rights away and imposing a socialistic tyranny, information that conflicts with this narrative is dismissed.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Devious
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Devious
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=Devious
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Devious
6. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=Devious
7. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Devious