DEVIOUS: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for DEVIOUS?

Need another word that means the same as “devious”? Find 33 synonyms and 30 related words for “devious” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Devious” are: oblique, circuitous, roundabout, shifty, underhand, underhanded, deceitful, dishonest, dishonourable, disreputable, unethical, unprincipled, immoral, unscrupulous, fraudulent, cheating, dubious, dirty, unfair, treacherous, duplicitous, double-dealing, janus-faced, two-timing, two-faced, unsporting, unsportsmanlike, indirect, meandering, winding, serpentine, tortuous, rambling

Devious as an Adjective

Definitions of "Devious" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “devious” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

• Deviating from a straight course.
• Indirect in departing from the accepted or proper way; misleading.
• Characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive.
• (of a route or journey) longer and less direct than the most straightforward way.
• Showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals.

Synonyms of "Devious" as an adjective (33 Words)

cheating	Violating accepted standards or rules.
circuitous	Marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct. The canal followed a circuitous route.
deceitful	Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill. A deceitful politician.
dishonest	Intended to mislead or cheat. He gave the editor a dishonest account of events.
dishonourable	Bringing shame or disgrace on someone or something. His crimes are petty and dishonourable.
disreputable	Not considered to be respectable in character or appearance. He was heavy grubby and vaguely disreputable.
double-dealing	Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill.
dubious	Not to be relied upon; suspect. He has a dubious record indeed.
duplicitous	Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another. A duplicitous philanderer.
fraudulent	Intended to deceive – S.T.Coleridge. A fraudulent scheme to escape paying taxes.
immoral	Deliberately violating accepted principles of right and wrong. Unseemly and immoral behaviour.
indirect	(of lighting) from a concealed source and diffusely reflected. He took a careful indirect route home from his dockside rendezvous.
janus-faced	Having or concerned with polarities or contrasts.
meandering	Of a path e.g. Meandering streams.
oblique	Slanting or inclined in direction or course or position–neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled. An oblique abdominal muscle.
rambling	Tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects. A big old rambling house.
roundabout	Not saying what is meant clearly and directly; circumlocutory. Hear in a roundabout way that her ex husband was marrying her best friend.
serpentine	Winding and twisting like a snake. Serpentine country lanes.
shifty	(of a person or their manner) appearing deceitful or evasive. Shifty eyes.
tortuous	Not straightforward. A tortuous road up the mountain.
treacherous	Tending to betray especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans. Treacherous winding roads.
two-faced	Marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill.
two-timing	Not faithful to a spouse or lover.
underhand	With the palm of the hand upward or outward. Achieved success in business only by underhand methods.
underhanded	With hand brought forward and up from below shoulder level. Underhanded practices.
unethical	Not morally correct. It is unethical to torment any creature for entertainment.
unfair	Not following the rules of a game or sport. Took an unfair advantage.
unprincipled	Having little or no integrity. An unprincipled womanizer.
unscrupulous	Without scruples or principles. Unscrupulous politicos who would be happy to sell their country in order to gain power.
unsporting	Not fair, generous, or sportsmanlike. A nasty unsporting serve.
unsportsmanlike	Violating accepted standards or rules. A penalty against us for unsportsmanlike conduct.
winding	Following a twisting or spiral course. Our bedroom was at the top of a winding staircase.

Usage Examples of "Devious" as an adjective

• They have devious ways of making money.
• A devious character.
• Used devious means to achieve success.
• A scenic but devious route.
• He's as devious as a politician needs to be.
• They arrived at the town by a devious route.

Associations of "Devious" (30 Words)

afraid	Having feelings of aversion or unwillingness. She was afraid that he would be angry.
backhanded	Having a meaning that is expressed indirectly or ambiguously. A backhanded and dishonest way of reaching his goal.
caitiff	A contemptible or cowardly person. A caitiff knight.
circuitous	Marked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct. A long and circuitous journey by train and boat.
connive	Encourage or assent to illegally or criminally. Government officials were prepared to connive in impeding the course of justice.
cowardly	Lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted- P.B.Shelley. He was a weak cowardly man.
craven	A cowardly person. A craven abdication of his moral duty.
dastard	Despicably cowardly. The unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on December 7th.
dastardly	Wicked and cruel. The unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on December 7th.
fainthearted	Lacking conviction or boldness or courage.
fearful	Experiencing or showing fear. They are fearful of the threat of nuclear war.
fickle	Liable to sudden unpredictable change. Celebs trying to appeal to an increasingly fickle public.
frightened	Made afraid. I m not frightened of him.
inconstant	(of a person or their behaviour) not faithful and dependable. The most inconstant man in the world.
indirect	Extended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action. An indirect cause.
precarious	Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse. A precarious ladder.
rotary	A rotary machine engine or device. A rotary mower.
roundabout	A revolving machine with model horses or cars on which people ride for amusement; a merry-go-round. We need to take a roundabout route to throw off any pursuit.
shifting	Continuously varying. His constant shifting disrupted the class.
shifty	Characterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive. Shifty winds.
timorous	Showing or suffering from nervousness or a lack of confidence. Timorous little mouse.
unbelievable	So great or extreme as to be difficult to believe; extraordinary. Unbelievable or not it happened.
uncertain	Subject to change. A manuscript of uncertain origin.
unfaithful	Not trustworthy. You haven t been unfaithful to him have you.
unreliable	Dangerously unstable and unpredictable. An unreliable trestle.
unsound	Physically unsound or diseased. Unsound banking practices.
unsteady	Not firmly or solidly positioned. Her unsteady walk.
untrustworthy	Not worthy of trust or belief. Thomas considered her to be devious and untrustworthy.
volatile	A volatile substance a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor. Volatile solvents.
weak	Relating to or denoting the weakest of the known kinds of force between particles which acts only at distances less than about 10 cm is very much weaker than the electromagnetic and the strong interactions and conserves neither strangeness parity nor isospin. The choruses on this recording are weak.