devious
adjective/ˈdiːviəs/
/ˈdiːviəs/
- behaving in a dishonest or indirect way, or tricking people, in order to get something synonym deceitful, underhand
- a devious politician
- He got rich by devious means.
Extra ExamplesTopics Personal qualitiesc2- He's as devious as a politician needs to be.
- You have a devious mind, Mr Angel. Ever thought of a career in the police?
- devious route/path a route or path that is not straight but has many changes in direction; not direct
- a devious route from the airport
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from Latin devius (from de- ‘away from’ + via ‘way’) + -ous. The original sense was ‘remote’; the later sense ‘departing from the direct route’ gave rise to the figurative sense ‘deviating from the straight way’ and hence ‘skilled in underhand tactics’.
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devious