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The "Lost" History of Devious
If you think someone devious has lost their way, you're right, etymologically speaking—the word derives from the Latin adjective devius, itself formed from the prefix de- ("from" or "away") and the noun via ("way"). When devious was first used in the 16th century, it implied a literal wandering off the way, suggesting something that meandered or had no fixed course (as in "a devious route" or "devious breezes"). Relatively quickly, however, the word came to describe someone or something that had left the right path metaphorically rather than literally, or to describe deceitful rather than straightforward behavior.
Synonyms
Examples of devious in a Sentence
Jack Butler, National Review, 30 Dec. 2023
Working for Nixon In Nixon’s White House, Dr. Kissinger was a complicated, ambitious, often devious man serving a complicated, erratic and often devious president.
—Thomas W. Lippman, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023
Larraín’s gory satire is filmed in beautiful black and white, with a stunning, devious nun posing as an accountant, a prominent guillotine and plenty of night flights that literally make heads roll.
—Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2023
Initially, the attackers stored their devious files on Cloudflare.
—Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 19 Oct. 2023
But that devious not-actual-opening Broadway celebration performance is a fun little trick people keep pulling.
—Vulture Staff, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2023
There’s something devious about empowerment stories.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2023
Whether the characters are forthright or devious, all the performances are in sync with the rugged seclusion of the setting, as is the rustic-meets-old-timey aesthetic of the production design (by Adriana Bogaard) and costumes (Charlotte Reid).
—Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Sep. 2023
Reality Stars Are Buried Alive — by Accusations and Lies — in Shady New Peacock Series' The Traitors'
The cast is expected to be made up of some of the greatest devious, strategic players across reality TV and beyond.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'devious.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
1599, in the meaning defined at sense 2
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Dictionary Entries Near devious
Cite this Entry
“Devious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devious. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
devious
adjective
More from Merriam-Webster on devious
Nglish: Translation of devious for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of devious for Arabic Speakers
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