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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Both rotary knobs make an assuring click when twisted.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Aug. 2025
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All in, our summer trip took seven separate bookings to pull off — a twisted mix of one-way tickets and return trips — sometimes among people on the same flight.—
Monica Pitrelli,
CNBC,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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With tensions already flaring, a nightmarish encounter with a mysterious, unnatural force threatens to corrupt their lives, their love, and their flesh.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
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Later that night, the brothers return with Dougal supporting Colum, as his leg is twisted in an unnatural way.—
Lincee Ray Published,
EW.com,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Go shopping in Conover Square, a former piano factory that’s now filled with antique shops, local boutiques, and a cute model train exhibit.—
Karthika Gupta,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Aug. 2025
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But for those trying to make their warm-weather pieces last a bit longer, a cute layer will do the trick.—
Mia Huelsbeck,
People.com,
23 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The long and winding road of The Beatles leads to a trifecta of new anniversary artifacts.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
22 Aug. 2025
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On Beatles night at Citi Field, the Mets took a long and winding road to defeat.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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This all sounds so beautifully abnormal: this man and his family, on this journey, celebrating something in the Twin Cities that would be so pleasantly unexpected.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
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The pregnancy had been complicated—marked by abnormal scan results; talk of possible termination; and a diagnosis of hypospadias, a congenital condition affecting the genitals.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Just swipe it along the cheekbones, temples, or nose bridge for subtle dimension and radiance.—
Conçetta Ciarlo,
Vogue,
29 Aug. 2025
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The new species was identified by its body proportions, spines, scale pattern, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said.—
Aspen Pflughoeft,
Miami Herald,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Although unusual, this display is likely not going to be as strong as 2024’s extreme G5 geomagnetic storms, the most powerful for two decades.—
Jamie Carter,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
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While the sight might not have been unusual a few weeks prior, Garcia's neighbors had notably packed up and moved out several days earlier, leaving the property completely empty, aside from the mysterious brown dog.—
Tereza Shkurtaj,
People.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Devious.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/devious. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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