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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.
Examples of devious in a Sentence
Chris Hewitt, Boston Herald, 12 Apr. 2026
Loki Loki is the Norse god of mischief and he’s known as a trickster—sometimes for good, sometimes a bit more devious.
—Kara Nesvig, Parents, 11 Apr. 2026
Cats itself barely has a plot, but that show’s second act does include an injection of drama via the devious Macavity, who here has stolen some high-fashion clothing.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2026
David Pierce, Hayden Field, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy discuss all the ways Amazon’s team had to catch up to products like Siri, the devious and clever tests the team ran to see how people would use the device, and why Bezos decided to launch the Echo with no fanfare at all.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 5 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for devious
Cite this Entry
“Devious.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/devious. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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devious
adjective
