the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know

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

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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