devious
English · Thesaurus
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devious
- /ˈdiː.vi.əs/
Rhymes with -iːviəs
Where it comes from
1590s, "out of the common or direct way," from Latin devius (“out of the way, remote, off the main road”), from de via, from de (“off”) (see de-) + via (“way, road”). Compare deviate. Originally in the Latin literal sense; the figurative sense of "deceitful" is first recorded 1630s. Related to deviously, deviousness. Figurative senses of the Latin word were "retired, sequestered, wandering in the byways, foolish, inconsistent."
adjective more devious · most devious
- Cunning or deceiving, not straightforward or honest, not frank.
- Roundabout, circuitous, deviating from the direct or ordinary route. The wandering Arab never sets his tent Within her walls; the Shepherd eyes afar Her evil towers, and devious drives his flock.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: untrustworthy, indirect, shifty, roundabout, circuitous, untrusty, oblique, duplicitous, deceitful, cunning, sly, underhand, sneaky, insidious, sneak, deviant
Translations
Every language
adj cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
| Español | artero, taimado, engañoso, marrullero, enrevesado, desvioso |
|---|---|
| Français | rusé, roublard, sournois |
| Deutsch | heimtückisch, hinterrücks, unaufrichtig, verschlagen, durchtrieben, hinterhältig |
| Русский | кова́рный kovárnyj, нече́стный nečéstnyj, неи́скренний neískrennij, хи́трый xítryj |
| עברית | עַרְמוּמִי |
Talk about this word "devious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/devious. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. devious. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/devious "devious." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/devious.Cite this
@misc{devious_2026,
title = {devious},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/devious},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
