devious

adjective

de·​vi·​ous ˈdē-vē-əs 

-vyəs

1

a

: wandering, roundabout

a devious path

b

: moving without a fixed course : errant

devious breezes

2

: out-of-the-way, remote

upon devious coasts

3

a

: deviating from a right, accepted, or common course

devious conduct

b

: not straightforward : cunning

a devious politician

also : deceptive

a devious trick

a devious plot

deviously adverb

deviousness noun

Did you know?

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

• artful
• beguiling
• cagey
• cagy
• crafty
• cunning
• cute
• designing
• dodgy [chiefly British]
• foxy
• guileful
• scheming
• shrewd
• slick
• sly
• subtle
• tricky
• wily

Examples of devious in a Sentence

a dishonest and devious politician

He took us by a devious route to the center of the city.

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet there's little-more devious than the increase in sextortion cases linked to the West African scammers. —Matt Burgess, WIRED, 7 Sep. 2024

There’s certainly nothing helpless about Greta, who pirouettes with devious finesse into our dark, cold, tell-tale hearts. —Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 4 Sep. 2024

Hamm joined the cast of Fargo season 5 as Roy Tillman, a devious sheriff and rancher preacher in rural North Dakota. —Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2024

Under the devious and divisive Project 2025 framework, technology safeguards on AI would be overturned. —The Editors, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin devius, from de from + via way — more at de-, way

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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Kids Definition

devious

adjective

de·​vi·​ous ˈdē-vē-əs 

1

: straying from a straight course : roundabout

the devious trail that wound along the creek

leading through devious mazes

2

: sneaky, deceptive

a devious plan

got it by devious means

deviously adverb

deviousness noun