devil's advocate
/ˈdɛvəlz ˈædvəkət/
CommonSomeone who argues a position they may not personally believe, to test or challenge an idea.
Originally neutral or positive (useful intellectual tool), but online it skews sarcastic. 'Playing devil's advocate' has become shorthand for 'I am going to say something annoying and use this as cover.'
| # | Example | What it means | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | playing devil's advocate here but what if the company actually had a point | Arguing in favor of an unpopular party without necessarily endorsing them. | |
| 02 | you are not playing devil's advocate you just have a bad take, own it | Calling out someone for using intellectual framing to avoid accountability for their opinion. | x, 2024 |
| 03 | every time he says 'devil's advocate' i know something insufferable is coming | The phrase has become a red flag that signals a bad argument is incoming. | x, 2023 |
| 04 | i will be devil's advocate: the ending was not that bad | Defending something that is generally criticized, as an intellectual exercise. |
Use it when
- Someone argues a position they admit they do not personally hold.
- Someone is genuinely stress-testing an idea from the opposite angle.
- Someone uses the phrase as cover to say something annoying.
- Calling out someone who hides bad-faith arguments behind intellectual framing.
Do not use it when
- Someone genuinely disagrees and is not pretending to argue a side.Use “contrarian” instead.
Devil's advocate vs contrarian
devil's advocate
Devil's advocate argues a position as a tool, not necessarily as a belief. It is framed as temporary.
contrarian
Contrarian reflexively holds the opposing view as part of their identity.
Origin and context
From the Roman Catholic Church's 'advocatus diaboli', an official role that argued against someone's beatification to stress-test the case. Entered general English as a figure of speech for intentional contrary argument.
- First seen
- pre-2000s
- Confidence
- high
Cite this page
Use this stable URL to reference the entry.
https://slang.fyi/devils-advocate