The Devil's advocate was an official in the Catholic Church who would attempt to prove a candidate for canonization to not be a saint. It is used as a figure of speech for someone who takes a position they do not necessarily agree with or runs counter to their or others interests for the sake of debate or to explore the thought further, possibly with regards to demonstrated impartiality.
Devil's Advocate may also refer to:
Books
People
- Giovanni Di Stefano (fraudster) (born 1955), British-Italian faux lawyer, nicknamed "The Devil's Advocate" for his involvement in high-profile criminal cases
- Jacques Vergès (1925–2013), French attorney most famous for representing Klaus Barbie, "the Butcher of Lyon"
Television and film
- The Devil's Advocate (1997 film), a 1997 film, based on the Neiderman novel, starring Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino
- Devil's Advocate (British TV series), a 1995 British two-part television-film starring Alice Krige
- Devil's Advocate (TV series), a Dutch reality television series
- Devil's Advocate, a fictional pinball game appearing in "Insane Clown Poppy", an episode of The Simpsons
- The Devil's Advocate, a current affairs television series fronted by Darcus Howe on Channel 4 (1992–1996)
- The Devil's Advocates, a fictional motorcycle gang appearing in the film Nam's Angels
- Devil's Advocate, a chapter of the BBC documentary series Notorious about British fraudster Giovanni Di Stefano
Other
See also
Topics referred to by the same term