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devil's advocate
(redirected from devil's advocates)

    Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.13 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
devil's advocate n to play (the) devil's advocate → hacer de abogado del diablo
devil's advocate n to play devil's advocate → se faire avocat du diable
devil's advocate [ˈdɛvlz-] n → Advocatus Diaboli m
devil's advocate n to play devil's advocate → fare l'avvocato del diavolo


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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
To stimulate debate and avoid the stereotypes of being the "fire-the-bastards" person, or the "harmonizer" or the "governance whiner," people should take turns as enthusiasts and devil's advocates.
Reforming governance: companies must go beyond rules to focus on ... by Sonnenfeld, Jeffrey / Chief Executive (U.S.)
Other Presidents have managed to have some dissenting voices or devil's advocates around.
Helen Thomas by DiNovella, Elizabeth / The Progressive
However, unlike the road to canonization, there were no devil's advocates.
Scarlet fever update. (Odds & Ends) by Gilmour, Peter / U.S. Catholic
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