devil's advocate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In her first SCiLL class, Allen said, “There were definitely people who’d signed up to play devil’s advocate in what they assumed would be a conservative class.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026
Playing devil’s advocate: He may be responding to a new person in his home who is being kind and helpful.
From MarketWatch • Dec. 1, 2025
News website Ukrayinska Pravda even called him "the devil's advocate".
From BBC • May 24, 2025
But when he landed in Duplin County, N.C., seeking the experience the entire book was predicated upon, he initially played devil’s advocate, asking himself, “Is this as bad as they’re making out?”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2022
He never played devil’s advocate or told me what I was feeling was wrong, the way Stephen Kellner did.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.
