What Does "Devil's Advocate" Mean?
"Devil's advocate" is an English idiom. It means "someone who adopts a contrary position, especially for the sake of argument or to test the validity of the opposing viewpoint."Examples in Sentences
Here are three examples of the idiom "devil's advocate" used in a sentence:- Let me play devil's advocate here: what if the plan doesn't work?
- It's always good to have someone play devil's advocate in a discussion.
- Even though he agreed with the proposal, he played devil's advocate to test its strength.
What Is an Idiom?
An idiom is a commonly used expression whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. In other words, if you were to translate "Devil's Advocate" word for word, there is no guarantee the translation would help you to understand the meaning.An idiom often includes a cultural or historical context that makes it difficult for non-native English speakers to understand. A phrase is classified as an idiom when a direct translation of the words does not reveal the meaning. Most idioms rely on shared knowledge or experiences known only to a specific community.
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