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I hope you're representing the devil's advocate.
Charles Olson

Meaning of "devil's advocate" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

Translation of New Latin advocātus diabolī.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

devil's advocate  [prəʊˈməʊtɔː fɪˈdeɪiː] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Devil's advocate is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES DEVIL'S ADVOCATE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Devil's advocate

In common parlance, a devil's advocate is someone who, given a certain argument, takes a position they do not necessarily agree with, for the sake of debate or to explore the thought further. In taking this position, the individual taking on the devil's advocate role seeks to engage others in an argumentative discussion process. The purpose of such a process is typically to test the quality of the original argument and identify weaknesses in its structure, and to use such information to either improve or abandon the original, opposing position. It can also refer to someone who takes a stance that is seen as unpopular or unconventional, but is actually another way of arguing a much more conventional stance.

Definition of devil's advocate in the English dictionary

The definition of devil's advocate in the dictionary is a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular view, often for the sake of argument. Other definition of devil's advocate is the official appointed to put the case against the beatification or canonization of a candidate Technical name: promotor fidei,.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH DEVIL'S ADVOCATE


cercariae
səˈkɛərɪiː
chlamydiae
kləˈmɪdɪiː
curiae
ˈkjʊərɪiː
employee
ɛmˈplɔɪiː
faciae
ˈfeɪʃɪiː
fasciae
ˈfeɪʃɪiː
foveae
ˈfəʊvɪiː
Graiae
ˈɡreɪiː
laciniae
ləˈsɪnɪiː
Mbujimayi
əmˈbuːdʒɪˌmaɪiː
nonemployee
ˌnɒnemˈplɔɪiː
Pompeii
pɒmˈpeɪiː
Savaii
sɑːˈvaɪiː
scoriae
ˈskɔːrɪiː
spuriae
ˈspʊərɪiː
striae
ˈstraɪiː
taeniae
ˈtiːnɪiː
trochleae
ˈtrɒklɪiː
tyee
ˈtaɪiː

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

devil
devil of
devil ray
devil worship
devil-may-care
devil´s bit
devil´s bit scabious
devil´s coach-horse
devil´s darning needle
devil´s food cake
Devil´s Island
devildom
deviless
devilet
devilfish
devilish
devilishly
devilishness
devilism
devilkin

WORDS THAT END LIKE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

advocate
allocate
certificate
collocate
colocate
convocate
dislocate
embrocate
equivocate
evocate
invocate
judge advocate
locate
Lord Advocate
misallocate
mislocate
reallocate
reciprocate
relocate
suffocate
translocate

Synonyms and antonyms of devil's advocate in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «devil's advocate» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

Find out the translation of devil's advocate to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of devil's advocate from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «devil's advocate» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

魔鬼代言人
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

abogado del diablo
570 millions of speakers

English

devil´s advocate
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

शैतान के अधिवक्ता
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

محامي الشيطان
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

Адвокат дьявола
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

advogado do diabo
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

শয়তান এর উকিল
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

l´avocat du diable
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Penyokong syaitan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Teufels Advokat
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

悪魔の代弁者
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

악마의 옹호자
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Pengawal setan
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

ủng hộ của ma quỷ
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

சாத்தானின் வழக்குறைஞர்
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

भूत च्या वकील
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

şeytanın Avukatı
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

avvocato del diavolo
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

Adwokat diabła
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

Адвокат диявола
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

avocat al diavolului
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

συνήγορος του διαβόλου
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

duiwel se advokaat
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

djävulens advokat
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

djevelens advokat
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of devil's advocate

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «DEVIL'S ADVOCATE»

The term «devil's advocate» is regularly used and occupies the 70.524 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
67
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «devil's advocate» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of devil's advocate
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «devil's advocate».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «DEVIL'S ADVOCATE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «devil's advocate» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «devil's advocate» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about devil's advocate

EXAMPLES

2 QUOTES WITH «DEVIL'S ADVOCATE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word devil's advocate.
1
Charles Olson
I hope you're representing the devil's advocate.
2
Cecily Strong
People have confused playing devil's advocate with being intelligent.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «DEVIL'S ADVOCATE»

Discover the use of devil's advocate in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to devil's advocate and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
The Devil's Advocate: A Short Polemic on how to be Seriously ...
Written with humour in a conversational style, explaining clear techniques, with the helpful feature that only one or two points are raised on each page, the work takes you through the practical application of advocacy step-by-step.
Iain Morley, 2009
2
Devil's Advocate
During a lifetime in journalism, John Humphrys has observed the changes overtaking Britain.
John Humphrys, 2000
3
The Devil's Advocate
Acquittal after acquittal, every criminal client walks free, and Kevin's suspicions slowly give way to terror. For Kevin has just become The Devil's Advocate.
Andrew Neiderman, 2012
4
The Devil's Advocate
Father Blaise Meredith, a dying English priest, is sent from the Vatican to investigate. Morris West deftly explores the meaning of faith in this intriguing tale of secrets, lies, and sanctity.
Morris West, 2005
5
Devil's Advocate: The Art of Coop
Yes, that's right, this fancy hardcover book reproduces tons of Coop's posters and stickers and thangs, all in colour.
‎2001
6
The Devil's Advocate
When madness seizes the world's vampires, relentless hunger gnaws at them.
Gherbod Fleming, 1997
7
The Devil's Advocate ePub eBook: The 100 Commandments You ...
Welcome to the future of business thinking.
Caspian Woods, 2013
8
Aclu: The Devil's Advocate : The Seduction of Civil ...
Taking a close look at the wider liberal-Left agenda, Smith explores the moral context in which battles over issues like free speech, religious liberty, and sexual expression are being fought.
Frank LaGard Smith, 1996
9
The Devil's Advocate
The Devil's Advocate takes a nod from Candy, presenting the innocent Clara Reeves, and tracking her gradual seduction by attorney Sam Garnett, a man whose callous libertinage contrasts nicely with her winsome naivete.
Marcus Van Heller, John Stevenson, 2005
10
The Joker: Devil's Advocate
Graphic novel. The joker is facing the death sentence but Batman believes he is innocent. Can he, indeed should he, try to prove his innocence when he knows that the joker has killed many people?
Chuck Dixon, 1996

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «DEVIL'S ADVOCATE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term devil's advocate is used in the context of the following news items.
1
2015 Fantasy Football: 10 Things You Don't Want to Repeat From …
Find someone who can play the devil's advocate to your fantasy fetishes so that you don't end up drafting only guys from your list of potential ... «FantasyPros, Jul 15»
2
Tough Enough Stuff, Episode 3: Zeroes Of Cosplay
But if I'm playing devil's advocate, Tanner also gets riled up too easy. So yeah, our two most promising in-ring candidates are both major ... «UPROXX, Jul 15»
3
Robert De Niro's 'The Comedian' Draws Taylor Hackford | Variety
Hackford's credits include “Ray,” “Dolores Claiborne,” “The Devil's Advocate” and “White Knights.” He and De Niro are repped by CAA. «Variety, Jul 15»
4
Trans-Tasmanian Tesla - motoring.com.au
Of course, if we may play devil's advocate for a moment, we must point out that the idea of utopian EV state is hindered by Tasmania's slowing ... «Motoring, Jul 15»
5
China Stocks Get Hammered Again. The Corn … - Inside Futures
This market makes be devil's advocate as I believe it is ready to make a bullish run as well despite all the bearish sentiment. Wait for the next ... «Inside Futures, Jul 15»
6
Is Toby Charles DiLaurentis On 'Pretty Little Liars'? 7 Big A Clues …
Just to play devil's advocate here, though, it's worth pointing out that I. Marlene King didn't post that fateful ”'A' finally knows 'A' is 'A'“ tweet until months after ... «Bustle, Jul 15»
7
Never Say Die: Bill Ward Interviewed - The Quietus
Playing Devil's advocate here, Colonel Tom Parker once said words to the effect that a percentage split of something is better than a ... «The Quietus, Jul 15»
8
Women's World Cup: Ellis proves doubters wrong with coaching …
To play devil's advocate, Ellis only detached Lloyd from the ball and chain when she was forced to — tweaking the lineup for the quarterfinal ... «Goal.com, Jul 15»
9
'Not Serious Politics': Krauthammer Rips 'Rodeo Clown' Trump | The …
Continuing to play his role as devil's advocate, Baier told the panel that Trump's message is resonating with the crowd who wants to throw all ... «Daily Caller, Jul 15»
10
Ritz-Carlton to pay refunds for CIAA service charge | The Charlotte …
... a very, very good diversity manager so they can talk over decisions like this with someone who can be the devil's advocate,” she said. «Charlotte Observer, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Devil's advocate [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/devils-advocate>. Apr 2024 ».
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