devious
adjective
[ ˈdiːvɪəs ]
• showing a skilful use of underhand tactics to achieve goals.
• "he's as devious as a politician needs to be"
Similar:
underhand,
underhanded,
deceitful,
dishonest,
dishonourable,
disreputable,
unethical,
unprincipled,
immoral,
unscrupulous,
fraudulent,
cheating,
dubious,
dirty,
unfair,
treacherous,
duplicitous,
double-dealing,
Janus-faced,
below the belt,
two-timing,
two-faced,
unsporting,
unsportsmanlike,
crafty,
cunning,
calculating,
artful,
conniving,
scheming,
designing,
sly,
wily,
guileful,
tricky,
sneaky,
sneaking,
furtive,
secret,
secretive,
clandestine,
surreptitious,
covert,
veiled,
shrouded,
cloak-and-dagger,
hugger-mugger,
hole-and-corner,
hidden,
back-alley,
backstairs,
under the table,
conspiratorial,
snide,
snidey,
crooked,
shady,
bent,
low-down,
murky,
fishy,
dodgy,
shonky,
slim,
• (of a route or journey) longer and less direct than the most straightforward way.
• "they arrived at the town by a devious route"
Origin:
late 16th century: from Latin devius (from de- ‘away from’ + via ‘way’) + -ous. The original sense was ‘remote’; the later sense ‘departing from the direct route’ gave rise to the figurative sense ‘deviating from the straight way’ and hence ‘skilled in underhand tactics’.
