devil's advocate
noun [C usually singular] /ˌdev.əlzˈæd.və.kət/Definition
› someone who pretends, in an argument or discussion, to be against an idea or plan that a lot of people support, in order to make people discuss and consider it in more detail: I don't really believe all that - I was just playing devil's advocate.Debate and discussion
(Definition of devil's advocate noun from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus
© Cambridge University Press)
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Synonyms and related words:
- arbitrator noun
- arena noun (ACTIVITY)
- beard verb
- discursive adjective
- discuss verb
- fly about/around phrasal verb
- get down to business idiom
- give and take noun
- horse-trading noun
- negotiate verb (DISCUSS)
- polemic noun
- proposer noun
- reason with sb phrasal verb
- reasoning noun
- special pleading noun
- take sth up phrasal verb (DISCUSS)
- thrash sth out phrasal verb
- toss sth about/around phrasal verb
- weigh in phrasal verb (DISCUSSION)
- well argued adjective
Topic:
Debate & discussion
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