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Devil's advocate   /dˈɛvəlz ˈædvəkət/   Listen
Devil's advocate

noun
1.
Someone who takes the worse side just for the sake of argument.






WordNet 3.0 © 2010 Princeton University








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"Devil's advocate" Quotes from Famous Books



... had saved my life!" Julius moistened his dry lips. "Your approving moralist would be the devil's advocate. But I have not forgotten what your own opinion is of the man who tries to enhance his own virtues in a woman's eyes by pointing out the vices of a rival. And, if you will believe me, I was punished for the attempt. Her look of surprise ... the tone in ...
— The Dop Doctor • Clotilde Inez Mary Graves

... laugh, which struck Theron at once as bearing a sort of black-sheep relationship to the priest's habitual chuckle. "That must have been puzzling you no end," he said—"that notion that the pastorate kept a devil's advocate on the premises. No, Mr. Ware, I don't live here. I inhabit a house of my own—you may have seen it—an old-fashioned place up beyond the race-course, with a sort of tower at the back, and a big garden. But I dine here three or four times ...
— The Damnation of Theron Ware • Harold Frederic

... Hitherto I have always felt that I, like the man in Oscar Wilde's play, could forgive anybody anything, any time, anywhere. One can forgive even a hangman for doing his duty, however it may thwart one's plans. Some men must play the part of prosecutor and devil's advocate. ...
— In the Claws of the German Eagle • Albert Rhys Williams



Words linked to "Devil's advocate" :   arguer, debater



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