devil's advocate
One who debates from a viewpoint which one may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity or simply for the sake of argument.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“He likes to play devil's advocate during our team meetings.”
“You always act as a devil's advocate when we try to choose a restaurant.”
“My brother plays devil's advocate just to start an argument with me.”
“She played devil's advocate to help the group find potential flaws in the new project plan.”
“I will play devil's advocate for a moment and ask why we should spend money on this marketing campaign if our current sales are already high.”
“The teacher often plays devil's advocate to encourage the students to think more deeply about their own opinions during the debate.”
“Even though I want to buy the house, let me play devil's advocate and list the reasons why moving might be a mistake.”
“Although he personally agreed with the proposal, he played devil's advocate to ensure the committee considered every possible counterargument before making a final decision.”
Calque of Latin advocātus diabolī (“the devil’s advocate”), a popular title given to the officer dealing with the canonization process in the 16th c.
- 01
angel's advocate
Someone who sees what is good about an idea and supports it.
- 02
blue devils
Low spirits; depression.
- 03
dance with the devil
To engage in risky and immoral behavior.
- 04
devil dancing
Risky, reckless or potentially immoral behavior.
- 05
devil in disguise
A person or thing that appears to be good, honest, or upstanding, but is inherently nasty, evil, or damaging.
- 06
devil lies in the details
Synonym of devil is in the details.
- 07
devil's luck
astounding good luck.
- 08
folk devil
A person or type of person blamed by the public for various ills, as during a moral panic.
Last updated August 10, 2026