Link Centre Dictionary

devious

de·vious

UK/ˈdiː.vi.əs/ US/ˈdiviʌs/ fairly common

adjective

1.

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”
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2.

characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive

  • “a devious character”
  • “shifty eyes”
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3.

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”
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Origin

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."

Phrases

  • devious lick

Related words

Word family

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.