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
- deviously adverb
- deviousness noun
- nondevious adjective
- nondeviously adverb
- nondeviousness noun
- undevious adjective
- undeviously adverb
- undeviousness noun
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”)
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.
Both incidents were a case of a lingering finger falling on to the granite after the handle was released, rather than a deliberate touch, so no suggestion of devious intent.
From BBC
"His actions were depraved and devious and go against the kindness and care our dedicated professionals provide to children each day."
From BBC
Sentencing the three on Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hehir called Dale a "thoroughly devious and untruthful and manipulative young woman".
From BBC
Now, as third baseman Max Muncy said with a devious grin from atop a makeshift stage in the Dodger Stadium outfield, “it’s starting to get a little bit comfortable up here. Let’s keep it going.”
From Los Angeles Times
Meanwhile the narrator’s financially devious husband appears as a vulture with “the brooding eye, the blood-tipped beak, the flabby folds of flesh” of a bird of prey.
Definitions 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.
