better the devil you know than the one you don't

A form of better the devil you know than the devil you don't know — Something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. alternativeAlternative form of better the devil you know than the devil you don't know.
Cite this entry
APA

better the devil you know than the one you don't. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/better%20the%20devil%20you%20know%20than%20the%20one%20you%20don't

MLA

“better the devil you know than the one you don't.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/better%20the%20devil%20you%20know%20than%20the%20one%20you%20don't. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “better the devil you know than the one you don't,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/better%20the%20devil%20you%20know%20than%20the%20one%20you%20don't.

Source: better the devil you know than the one you don't on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.