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devil's advocate

   Also found in: Acronyms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
dev·il's advocate (dvlz)
n.
1. One who argues against a cause or position, not as a committed opponent but simply for the sake of argument or to determine the validity of the cause or position.
2. Roman Catholic Church An official appointed to present arguments against a proposed canonization or beatification.
[Translation of Medieval Latin advoctus diabol, one arguing for the devil's plea against canonizing a saint : Latin advoctus, advocate + Late Latin diabol, genitive of diabolus, devil.]
devil's advocate
Noun
a person who takes an opposing or unpopular point of view for the sake of argument
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.devil's advocate - someone who takes the worse side just for the sake of argument
arguer, debater - someone who engages in debate
Translations
Spanish devil's advocate n to play (the) devil's advocate → hacer de abogado del diablo
French devil's advocate n to play devil's advocate → se faire avocat du diable
German devil's advocate [ˈdɛvlz-] n → Advocatus Diaboli m
Italian devil's advocate n to play devil's advocate → fare l'avvocato del diavolo
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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
Playing devil's advocate to my children's and grandchildren's likely reaction to the articles forced me to re-examine my own seventy-something attitudes and convictions and wonder: Where did either the church or I personally go wrong?
Generation gap by Buono, Diana / U.S. Catholic
Harrelson mentioned some of these emotional portrayals when he presented the award to salute Theron's artistic independence in ``Monster,'' ``The Devil's Advocate,'' ``North Country'' and other films.
TINSELTOWN SPYWITNESS by Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
The Ten Faces of Innovation: IDEO's Strategies for Defeating the Devil's Advocate and Driving Creativity Throughout Your Organization, by Thomas Kelley and Jonathan Littman (Currency, 2005).
Unwind, recharge, bounce back: summer reading to make you a better ... by Stager, Gary / District Administration
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