devious
Sneaky and dishonest in a clever way.
devious in a sentence
- The devious pirate drew a false map so his crew would dig in the wrong place while he kept the gold.
- Our devious cat pretends to be asleep, then sneaks over and steals food from the dog's bowl.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to devious?
- Asneaky
- Bstraightforward
- Chonest
- Dtruthful
Show the answer
A: sneaky. The other three mean the opposite of devious.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to devious?
- Asneaky
- Bhonest
- Csly
- Dcrafty
Show the answer
B: honest. The other three mean nearly the same as devious.
Words that mean something similar
sneaky, sly, crafty
Words that mean the opposite
honest, truthful, straightforward
More words about character & personality
- dignified: Calm, serious and behaving in a way that earns respect.
- diligent: Working hard and taking care over what you do.
- distinguished: Respected and admired, especially for your achievements.
- dogged: Refusing to give up, however hard things get.
- earnest: Serious and truly meaning what you say.
- eccentric: Behaving in an odd but usually harmless way.
- eminent: Famous and highly respected.
- enterprise: The courage and energy to start new and difficult projects.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test