devil's advocate
devil's advocate
nounDefinition of DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
1
: a Roman Catholic official whose duty is to examine critically the evidence on which a demand for beatification or canonization rests
2
: a person who champions the less accepted cause for the sake of argument
See Examples of DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
- Teachers often play devil's advocate to provoke discussion in the classroom.
Origin of DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
translation of New Latin advocatus diaboli
First Known Use: 1760
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