devious
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++de·vi·ous /ˈdiːviəs/ ●○○ adjective 1 DISHONESTusing dishonest tricks and deceiving people in order to get what you want 欺诈的，不诚实的 → deceitful a devious politician 一名不诚实的政客► see thesaurus at dishonest2 formalSTRAIGHT# not going in the most direct way to get to a place 〔路线〕迂回的，绕弯的 SYN circuitous a devious route 迂回的路线 —deviously adverb —deviousness noun [uncountable]
Examples from the Corpus
devious• His relationship with the universe becomes more subtle and devious.• Or was it as devious as that?• He was raucous, sentimental, hot. tempered, practical, simple, devious, big, and powerful.• He might be devious, but he was not without principles.• Their method of collecting money was devious, but not illegal.• In the film, he plays a devious defence lawyer named Richard Adler.• Opportunism is a devious kind of self-interested behaviour.• She says we have devious minds!• You have to be pretty devious to be successful in that sort of business.• He infuriated his allies with his arbitrary decisions and devious ways.From Longman Business Dictionarydeviousde‧vi‧ous /ˈdiːviəs/ adjective using dishonest tricks and deceiving people to get what you wantHe’s an honest businessman, not the devious executive the government says he is. —deviously adverb —deviousness noun [uncountable]the deviousness of some of the advertising aimed at childrenOrigin devious (1500-1600) Latin devius, from via “way”de·vi·ous adjectiveChineseSyllable
Business get deceiving tricks in to and people order using Corpus dishonest
devious
de‧vi‧ous /ˈdiːviəs/
adjective
a devious politician
2. formal not going in the most direct way to get to a place
SYN circuitous:
a devious route
—deviously adverb
—deviousness noun [uncountable]
▪ dishonest behaving in a way that is intended to deceive people, for example by lying, cheating, or stealing: Are you accusing me of being dishonest? | The money was acquired through dishonest means. | People are no longer surprised to find that politicians are dishonest.
▪corrupt using your power in a dishonest way for your own advantage – used about people in official positions: corrupt politicians | Law and order has broken down, and most government officials are corrupt.
▪devious /ˈdiːviəs/ good at secretly thinking of clever plans to trick people in order to get what you want: You have a very devious mind! | They use all kinds of devious methods to find out your personal details.
▪underhand British English, underhanded American English underhand methods involve secretly deceiving people in order to get what you want: In a series of underhand moves, Browne managed to gain control of the company.
▪sneaky doing or saying things secretly, in a way that seems wrong because it is slightly dishonest or unfair: It was pretty sneaky when the bank charged me interest on my account without telling me.
▪sly deliberately behaving in a way that hides what you are really thinking or doing, in a way that is slightly dishonest: Lucy decided not to tell him where she was going. She was often a bit sly like that. | He’s a sly old fox.
▪unscrupulous /ʌnˈskruːpjələs, ʌnˈskruːpjʊləs/ using dishonest and unfair methods to get what you want, without caring if you harm other people: Some unscrupulous companies try to persuade people to borrow huge sums of money.
▪fraudulent /ˈfrɔːdjələnt, ˈfrɔːdjʊlənt $ ˈfrɒːdʒə-/ formal deliberately deceiving people in an illegal way in order to gain money or power: You will be prosecuted if you make a fraudulent claim on your insurance policy.
de‧vi‧ous /ˈdiːviəs/
adjective Date: 1500-1600
Language: Latin
Origin: devius, from via 'way'
1. using dishonest tricks and deceiving people in order to get what you want ⇨ deceitful:Language: Latin
Origin: devius, from via 'way'
2. formal not going in the most direct way to get to a place
SYN circuitous:
—deviously adverb
—deviousness noun [uncountable]
| THESAURUS |
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪
▪