1
as in cunning
clever at attaining one's ends by indirect and often deceptive means
we always left it to our most devious friends to find out the latest information
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in twisted
marked by a long series of irregular curves
a devious trail through the swampland
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unnatural
departing from some accepted standard of what is normal
her behavior is devious because of a developmental disorder
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of devious
Mao Zedong and his colleagues increasingly resented Soviet assumptions of superiority and leadership of the world communist movement, while Stalin’s successor Nikita Khrushchev found the Chinese devious and untrustworthy—contributing to the very public and bitter Sino-Soviet split after 1962.
—
Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
The sequel has more glamour, more trouble and maybe a bit too much nonsense
1 Comments
The first Simple Favor, from 2018, was a playful, shallow mystery most notable for casting the lovely, languid Blake Lively as a cynical, devious clothes horse named Emily Nelson.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Expose every last devious aspect of the terror attack — all the countries that looked the other way and the spy agencies that failed fellow Americans.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 15 July 2025
But prosecutors said Patterson secretly despised her husband’s family and concocted the devious plot to kill them, then lied about numerous parts of it.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for devious
Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 21 July 2025
The sequel has more glamour, more trouble and maybe a bit too much nonsense
1 Comments
The first Simple Favor, from 2018, was a playful, shallow mystery most notable for casting the lovely, languid Blake Lively as a cynical, devious clothes horse named Emily Nelson.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Expose every last devious aspect of the terror attack — all the countries that looked the other way and the spy agencies that failed fellow Americans.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 15 July 2025
But prosecutors said Patterson secretly despised her husband’s family and concocted the devious plot to kill them, then lied about numerous parts of it.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 7 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for devious
Recent Examples of Synonyms for devious
Adjective
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Köhler specializes in cunning, tonally surprising films about cross-cultural disconnection, and Gavagai is his most ambitious and expansive film yet—a pinpoint-accurate account of moral crises and social biases, modern and ancient, internal and external.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
5 Aug. 2025
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But as the supervisors tweaked the incentives, a new form of cunning arose.—
Craig S. Smith,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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The twisted stars of periwinkles, towering hollyhocks with their hot-pink Medusa heads, the lion-mane frills of marigolds.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Aug. 2025
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Just in time for Halloween, this twisted story of obsession reveals a love gone wrong — from first bite to final breath.—
Maggie Menderski,
The Courier-Journal,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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That’s because Google’s algorithms are designed to spot and penalize unnatural link patterns.—
Nick Zviadadze,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Every great defense has that type of unnatural DNA, and across the entire team, Ulbrich expressed to CNN.—
Hailey Hurst,
CNN Money,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The trailers for the episode dropped not only the announcement of Swift's latest album, but also a cute moment between the celeb couple.—
Joyce Orlando,
Nashville Tennessean,
12 Aug. 2025
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The brand also offers the pillow in a smaller base model and several cute kids’ pillows that double as plushies.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In Copenhagen, cyclists glide past copper spires and winding canals—cinnamon pastries in hand.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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Rancho Santa Fe’s semi-rural character, with its many winding corridors and narrow or non-existent bike lanes, adds challenges for the mix of users that includes drivers, cyclists and equestrians.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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These numbers—like most of the company’s year-over-year comparisons—are not abnormal for the company at this stage.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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Lewy body dementia: This type of dementia is caused by an accumulation of Lewy bodies (a type of abnormal protein deposit) in certain areas of the brain.—
Heidi Moawad,
Verywell Health,
6 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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There's a subtle but powerful form of manipulation happening in AI companions.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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The spawn, which typically takes place over a few days and lasts less than 20 minutes, is triggered by subtle environmental cues — moon phase, tides and water temperatures — that healthy reefs once responded to in consistent synchronization.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Just to see John Turturro and Christopher Walken play lovers is so unexpected, so unusual and so well done.—
Lynette Rice,
Deadline,
7 Aug. 2025
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To do this, the snails have developed some unusual tools to alter its genome that could inform future ways for humans to do the same.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
6 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devious. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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