What does devil's advocate mean?
Definitions for devil's advocate
dev·il's ad·vo·cate
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word devil's advocate.
Princeton's WordNet
devil's advocatenoun
someone who takes the worse side just for the sake of argument
Wikipedia
Devil's advocate
The advocatus diaboli (Latin for Devil's advocate) is a former official position within the Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith: one who "argued against the canonization (sainthood) of a candidate in order to uncover any character flaws or misrepresentation of the evidence favoring canonization".In common language, the phrase 'playing devil's advocate' describes a situation where someone, given a certain point of view, takes a position they do not necessarily agree with (or simply an alternative position from the accepted norm), for the sake of debate or to explore the thought further using valid reasoning that both disagrees with the subject at hand and proves their own point valid. Despite being medieval in origin, this idiomatic expression is one of the most popular present-day English idioms used to express the concept of arguing against something without actually being committed to the contrary view.
ChatGPT
devil's advocate
A devil's advocate is a person who expresses a contentious or opposing opinion, not necessarily because they hold that opinion personally, but to stimulate debate, test the strength of the original argument, or thoroughly explore its potential consequences. The term originally referred to an official position within the Catholic Church, who argued against the proposed canonization or beatification of a candidate in order to expose any weaknesses or falsehoods in the evidence of sainthood.
Wikidata
Devil's advocate
In common parlance, a devil's advocate is someone who, given a certain argument, takes a position he or she does not necessarily agree with, for the sake of debate. In taking this position, the individual taking on the devil's advocate role seeks to engage others in an argumentative discussion process. The purpose of such process is typically to test the quality of the original argument and identify weaknesses in its structure, and to use such information to either improve or abandon the original, opposing position. It can also refer to someone who takes a stance that is seen as unpopular or unconventional, but is actually another way of arguing a much more conventional stance.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of devil's advocate in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of devil's advocate in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7
Translations for devil's advocate
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- محامي الشيطانArabic
- advocat del diableCatalan, Valencian
- ďáblův advokátCzech
- djævelens advokatDanish
- des [[Teufel]]s [[Advokat]], Advocatus Diaboli, des Teufels AnwaltGerman
- συνήγορος του διαβόλουGreek
- abogado del diabloSpanish
- وکیل مدافع شیطانPersian
- paholaisen asianajajaFinnish
- avocat du diable, devil's advocateFrench
- abhcóide diabhailIrish
- छिद्रान्वेषीHindi
- advokat setanIndonesian
- avvocato del diavoloItalian
- あまのじゃく, 列聖調査審問検事, 悪魔の代弁者, 悪魔の主張者Japanese
- advocatus diaboliLatin
- advocaat van de duivelDutch
- djevelens advokatNorwegian
- adwokat diabłaPolish
- advogado do diaboPortuguese
- avocatul diavoluluiRomanian
- адвока́т дья́волаRussian
- djävulens advokatSwedish
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"devil's advocate." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/devil%27s+advocate>.
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