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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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