Categories: GeneralSynonyms

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)

cheatingViolating accepted standards or rules.
circuitousMarked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct.
The canal followed a circuitous route.
deceitfulMarked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill.
A deceitful politician.
dishonestIntended to mislead or cheat.
He gave the editor a dishonest account of events.
dishonourableBringing shame or disgrace on someone or something.
His crimes are petty and dishonourable.
disreputableNot considered to be respectable in character or appearance.
He was heavy grubby and vaguely disreputable.
double-dealingMarked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill.
dubiousNot to be relied upon; suspect.
He has a dubious record indeed.
duplicitousMarked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another.
A duplicitous philanderer.
fraudulentIntended to deceive – S.T.Coleridge.
A fraudulent scheme to escape paying taxes.
immoralDeliberately 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-facedHaving or concerned with polarities or contrasts.
meanderingOf a path e.g.
Meandering streams.
obliqueSlanting or inclined in direction or course or position–neither parallel nor perpendicular nor right-angled.
An oblique abdominal muscle.
ramblingTending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects.
A big old rambling house.
roundaboutNot saying what is meant clearly and directly; circumlocutory.
Hear in a roundabout way that her ex husband was marrying her best friend.
serpentineWinding and twisting like a snake.
Serpentine country lanes.
shifty(of a person or their manner) appearing deceitful or evasive.
Shifty eyes.
tortuousNot straightforward.
A tortuous road up the mountain.
treacherousTending to betray especially having a treacherous character as attributed to the Carthaginians by the Romans.
Treacherous winding roads.
two-facedMarked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another- Israel Zangwill.
two-timingNot faithful to a spouse or lover.
underhandWith the palm of the hand upward or outward.
Achieved success in business only by underhand methods.
underhandedWith hand brought forward and up from below shoulder level.
Underhanded practices.
unethicalNot morally correct.
It is unethical to torment any creature for entertainment.
unfairNot following the rules of a game or sport.
Took an unfair advantage.
unprincipledHaving little or no integrity.
An unprincipled womanizer.
unscrupulousWithout scruples or principles.
Unscrupulous politicos who would be happy to sell their country in order to gain power.
unsportingNot fair, generous, or sportsmanlike.
A nasty unsporting serve.
unsportsmanlikeViolating accepted standards or rules.
A penalty against us for unsportsmanlike conduct.
windingFollowing 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)

afraidHaving feelings of aversion or unwillingness.
She was afraid that he would be angry.
backhandedHaving a meaning that is expressed indirectly or ambiguously.
A backhanded and dishonest way of reaching his goal.
caitiffA contemptible or cowardly person.
A caitiff knight.
circuitousMarked by obliqueness or indirection in speech or conduct.
A long and circuitous journey by train and boat.
conniveEncourage or assent to illegally or criminally.
Government officials were prepared to connive in impeding the course of justice.
cowardlyLacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted- P.B.Shelley.
He was a weak cowardly man.
cravenA cowardly person.
A craven abdication of his moral duty.
dastardDespicably cowardly.
The unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on December 7th.
dastardlyWicked and cruel.
The unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on December 7th.
faintheartedLacking conviction or boldness or courage.
fearfulExperiencing or showing fear.
They are fearful of the threat of nuclear war.
fickleLiable to sudden unpredictable change.
Celebs trying to appeal to an increasingly fickle public.
frightenedMade 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.
indirectExtended senses; not direct in manner or language or behavior or action.
An indirect cause.
precariousNot securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
A precarious ladder.
rotaryA rotary machine engine or device.
A rotary mower.
roundaboutA 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.
shiftingContinuously varying.
His constant shifting disrupted the class.
shiftyCharacterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive.
Shifty winds.
timorousShowing or suffering from nervousness or a lack of confidence.
Timorous little mouse.
unbelievableSo great or extreme as to be difficult to believe; extraordinary.
Unbelievable or not it happened.
uncertainSubject to change.
A manuscript of uncertain origin.
unfaithfulNot trustworthy.
You haven t been unfaithful to him have you.
unreliableDangerously unstable and unpredictable.
An unreliable trestle.
unsoundPhysically unsound or diseased.
Unsound banking practices.
unsteadyNot firmly or solidly positioned.
Her unsteady walk.
untrustworthyNot worthy of trust or belief.
Thomas considered her to be devious and untrustworthy.
volatileA volatile substance a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor.
Volatile solvents.
weakRelating 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.
Alexei

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