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dev|il|ish /de vəl I ʃ/

1 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A devilish idea or action is cruel or unpleasant. □  …the devilish destructiveness of modern weapons.

2 ADJ [usu ADJ n] You can use devilish to emphasize how extreme or difficult something is. [EMPHASIS ] □  …a devilish puzzle. ●  dev|il|ish|ly ADV □  It is devilishly painful.

de vil-may-ca re ADJ [usu ADJ n] If you say that someone has a devil-may-care attitude, you mean that they seem relaxed and do not seem worried about the consequences of their actions. [APPROVAL ]

de v|il's a d|vo|cate N‑UNCOUNT [oft with det] If you play devil's advocate in a discussion or debate, you express an opinion which you may not agree with but which is very different to what other people have been saying, in order to make the argument more interesting.

de|vi|ous /diː viəs/ ADJ If you describe someone as devious you do not like them because you think they are dishonest and like to keep things secret, often in a complicated way. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  Newman was devious, prepared to say one thing in print and another in private. ●  de|vi|ous|ness N‑UNCOUNT □  …the deviousness of drug traffickers.

de|vise /d I va I z/ (devises , devising , devised ) VERB If you devise a plan, system, or machine, you have the idea for it and design it. □ [V n] We devised a scheme to help him.

de|void /d I vɔ I d/ ADJ If you say that someone or something is devoid of a quality or thing, you are emphasizing that they have none of it. [FORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ [+ of ] I have never looked on a face that was so devoid of feeling.

de|vo|lu|tion /diː vəluː ʃ ^ə n, de v-/ N‑UNCOUNT Devolution is the transfer of some authority or power from a central organization or government to smaller organizations or government departments. □ [+ of ] …the devolution of power to the regions.

de|volve /d I vɒ lv/ (devolves , devolving , devolved ) VERB If you devolve power, authority, or responsibility to a less powerful person or group, or if it devolves upon them, it is transferred to them. □ [V n + to ] …the need to decentralize and devolve power to regional governments. □ [V n] We have made a conscious effort to devolve responsibility. □ [V + upon/on ] A large portion of this cost devolves upon the patient.

de|vote /d I voʊ t/ (devotes , devoting , devoted )

1 VERB If you devote yourself, your time, or your energy to something, you spend all or most of your time or energy on it. □ [V n + to ] He decided to devote the rest of his life to scientific investigation. □ [V n + to ] Considerable resources have been devoted to proving him a liar. □ [V pron-refl + to ] She gladly gave up her part-time job to devote herself entirely to her art.

2 VERB If you devote a particular proportion of a piece of writing or a speech to a particular subject, you deal with the subject in that amount of space or time. □ [V n + to ] He devoted a major section of his massive report to an analysis of U.S. aircraft design.

de|vot|ed /d I voʊ t I d/

1 ADJ [ADJ n] Someone who is devoted to a person loves that person very much. □  …a loving and devoted husband. □ [+ to ] 50 years on, the couple are still devoted to one another.

2 ADJ [ADJ n] If you are devoted to something, you care about it a lot and are very enthusiastic about it. □ [+ to ] I have personally been devoted to this cause for many years. □  Joyce Bryt is a devoted Star Trek fan.

3 ADJ Something that is devoted to a particular thing deals only with that thing or contains only that thing. □ [+ to ] The shop is devoted to a new range of accessories.