as in cunning
skill in achieving one's ends through indirect, subtle, or underhanded means
his deviousness was almost as awesome as his lack of scruples
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Recent Examples of Synonyms for deviousness
Noun
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Honest Abe is forced to scheme, relying on grit and cunning to win the votes to abolish slavery.
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Unable to outrun the Bitchfist, the Hand earns his reputation for cunning and courage.
Noun
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The harp is not an instrument of slyness, wryness, or the earth.
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Like the tricksters of myth, there’s depth to their slyness.
Noun
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In The Executioners, and the 1962 and 1991 film adaptations of that novel, Cady is a predator specifically of women — even more specifically, young women — and he’s known for this, more so than his sneakiness, cleverness, or time served.
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“Deviousness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deviousness. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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