Meanings
comparative more devious · superlative most devious
- Cunning or deceiving, not straightforward or honest, not frank.
- archaicliteralRoundabout, circuitous, deviating from the direct or ordinary route.
We went down accordingly into the waste, and began to make our toilsome and devious travel towards the eastern verge.
1886 May 1 – July 31, Robert Louis Stevenson, Kidnapped, being Memoirs of the Adventures of David Balfour in the Year 1751: […], London; Paris: Cassell & Company, published 1886, →OCLC3 more examples
The wandering Arab never sets his tent Within her walls; the Shepherd eyes afar Her evil towers, and devious drives his flock.
1801, Robert Southey, “(please specify the page)”, in Thalaba the Destroyer, volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: […] [F]or T[homas] N[orton] Longman and O[wen] Rees, […], by Biggs and Cottle, […], →OCLCKeeping close in to the shore, they discovered, after two hours run, a fresh stream which burst in a cascade from the mountains, and swept its devious course through the jungle, until it poured its tribute into the waters of the Strait.
1839, Frederick Marryat, The Phantom ShipOn the second day, a sail drew near, nearer, and picked me up at last. It was the devious-cruising Rachel, that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found another orphan.
1851 November 14, Herman Melville, “Epilogue”, in Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers; London: Richard Bentley, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectivecharacterized by insincerity or deceit; evasive
adjectivedeviating from a straight course
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindevius“out of the way, remote, off the main road”
- Englishdevious
1590s, "out of the common or direct way," from Latin devius (“out of the way, remote, off the main road”), from de via, from de (“off”) (see de-) + via (“way, road”). Compare deviate. Originally in the Latin literal sense; the figurative sense of "deceitful" is first recorded 1630s. Related to deviously, deviousness. Figurative senses of the Latin word were "retired, sequestered, wandering in the byways, foolish, inconsistent."
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian нече́стен, неи́скрен
- нече́стен (nečésten)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- неи́скрен (neískren)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- око́лен (okólen)roundabout, circuitous, deviating
- лъкату́шен (lăkatúšen)roundabout, circuitous, deviating
- непря́к (neprják)roundabout, circuitous, deviating
Czech záludný, nečestný
- záludnýcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- nečestnýcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- prohnanýcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- křivolakýroundabout, circuitous, deviating
- klikatýroundabout, circuitous, deviating
Dutch heimelijk, onoprecht
- heimelijkcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- onoprechtcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- kronkelendcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
Esperanto ruza, trompema
- ruzacunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- trompemacunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- firuzacunning or deceiving, not straightforward
Finnish kiero, katala
- kierocunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- katalacunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- petollinencunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- epäsuoraroundabout, circuitous, deviating
- kiertäväroundabout, circuitous, deviating
- kierteleväroundabout, circuitous, deviating
French rusé, roublard
- rusécunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- roublardcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- sournoiscunning or deceiving, not straightforward
German heimtückisch, hinterrücks
- heimtückischcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- hinterrückscunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- unaufrichtigcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- verschlagencunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- durchtriebencunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- hinterhältigcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- doppelzüngigcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- linkcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- abwegigroundabout, circuitous, deviating
- indirektroundabout, circuitous, deviating
- krummroundabout, circuitous, deviating
- gewundenroundabout, circuitous, deviating
Hebrew עַרְמוּמִי
- עַרְמוּמִיcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
Russian кова́рный, нече́стный
- кова́рный (kovárnyj)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- нече́стный (nečéstnyj)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- неи́скренний (neískrennij)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- хи́трый (xítryj)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- око́льный (okólʹnyj)roundabout, circuitous, deviating
- непрямо́й (neprjamój)roundabout, circuitous, deviating
Spanish artero, taimado
- arterocunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- taimadocunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- engañosocunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- marrullerocunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- enrevesadocunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- desviosocunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- tortuosoroundabout, circuitous, deviating
- sinuosoroundabout, circuitous, deviating
- desviosoroundabout, circuitous, deviating
Swedish lömsk
- lömskcunning or deceiving, not straightforward
Turkish sinsi
- sinsicunning or deceiving, not straightforward
Ukrainian хитрий, підступний
- хитрий (xytryj)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- підступний (pidstupnyj)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- непрямий (neprjamyj)roundabout, circuitous, deviating
- звивистий (zvyvystyj)roundabout, circuitous, deviating
Yiddish כיטרע, ממזריש
- כיטרע (khitre)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
- ממזריש (mamzerish)cunning or deceiving, not straightforward
Cite this entry
devious. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devious
“devious.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devious. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “devious,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/devious.
Source: devious on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.