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devil's advocate

One who debates from a view which they may not actually hold, usually to determine its validity, or simply for the sake of argument.

Etymology:

  • From devil's advocate, a calque of Latin advocātus diabolī.
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Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'devil's advocate':

devil's advocateA canon lawyer appointed by the Church to argue against the canonization of the proposed candidate.
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Translation

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diablo advokato

abogado del diablo

l'avocat du diable

魔鬼代言人

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Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to devil's advocate

devil beating his wifeidle hands are the devil's playthingsbetter the devil you knowdevil's shouldersdevil is in the detailsbetter the devil you know than the one …devil take the hindmostcaught between the devil and the deep b…devil's shouldersdevil lies in the detailsbetter the devil you know than the one …angel's advocatelucky devilgive the devil his due

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