A person who expresses a contentious opinion in order to provoke debate or test the strength of the opposing arguments.
Historically, the popular title of the person appointed by the Roman Catholic Church to challenge a proposed beautification or canonization, or the verification of a miracle.
Someone who, given a point of view, takes a position he or she does not necessarily agree with (or simply an alternative position from the accepted norm), for the sake of debate or to explore the thought further.
Despite being ancient, this idiomatic expression is one of the most popular present-day English idioms used to express the concept of arguing against something without actually being committed to the contrary view.
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Idioms, Fallacies, and Paradoxes
RandomAll definitions are 100% written by Wikipedia, not my own words.
