SINCE 1828
better the devil you know than the devil you don't
idiomDefinition of better the devil you know than the devil you don't
—used to say that it is better to deal with a difficult person or situation one knows than with a new person or situation that could be worse
Comments on better the devil you know than the devil you don't
What made you want to look up better the devil you know than the devil you don't? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Farm Idioms Quiz
-
- What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Farm Idioms Quiz
Not your children's farm quiz.
Take the quiz -
Up in the Sky: A Quiz
It's a bird? It's a plane? No, I'm really asking. What is it?
Take the quiz -
Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz -
Dictionary Devil
The dictionary has been scrambled—can you put it back together?
Play the game
Share better the devil you know than the devil you don't
Resources for better the devil you know than the devil you don't