devil's advocate

D d

Transcription

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA

- US Pronunciation
- US IPA

Definitions of devil's advocate words

uncountable noun devil's advocate If you play devil's advocate in a discussion or debate, you express an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different to what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting. 3
noun devil's advocate a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular view, often for the sake of argument 3
noun devil's advocate the official appointed to put the case against the beatification or canonization of a candidate 3
noun devil's advocate an official selected to examine the facts critically and raise objections in the case of a dead person named for beatification or canonization 3
noun devil's advocate a person who upholds what is regarded as the wrong side or an indefensible cause, perversely or for argument's sake 3
noun devil's advocate a person who advocates an opposing or unpopular cause for the sake of argument or to expose it to a thorough examination. 1

See all 10 definitions of devil's advocate

Information block about the term

Origin of devil's advocate

First appearance:

before 1750

One of the 47% newest English words

1750-60; translation of New Latin advocātus diabolī

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Devil's advocate

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

Full grammatical hierarchy of Devil's advocate

devil's advocate popularity

This term is known only to a narrow circle of people with rare knowledge. Only 2% of English native speakers know the meaning of this word.

According to our data most of word are more popular. This word is almost not used. It has a much more popular synonym.

Synonyms for devil's advocate

noun devil's advocate

apologist — An apologist is a person who writes or speaks in defence of a belief, a cause, or a person's life.
pleader — a person who pleads, especially at law.
polemicist — a person who is engaged or versed in polemics.
sophist — (often initial capital letter) Greek History. any of a class of professional teachers in ancient Greece who gave instruction in various fields, as in general culture, rhetoric, politics, or disputation. a person belonging to this class at a later period who, while professing to teach skill in reasoning, concerned himself with ingenuity and specious effectiveness rather than soundness of argument.
defender — If someone is a defender of a particular thing or person that has been criticized, they argue or act in support of that thing or person.

All 6 Synonyms of devil's advocate

Matching words

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