Word.ws English Dictionary

the devil is in the details

the devil is in the details proverb: the specific provisions of, or particular steps for implementing, a general plan, policy, or contract may be complicated, controversial, or unworkable.

Proverb

the devil is in the details

  1. (idiomatic) The specific provisions of, or particular steps for implementing, a general plan, policy, or contract may be complicated, controversial, or unworkable.
    • Krupp already has an agreement in principle for the deal, but precise details are still being worked out by Polish officials and a Krupp bargaining team ("The devil is in the details," Beitz says).1965, Newsweek, volume 65, page 173
    • The country has developed a strong consensus for peace, but the devil is in the details over what concessions should be made.1998 December 16, Alain L. Sanders, “Israel: Let the People Speak”, in Time, archived from the original on 08 Apr 2009

Forms of the devil is in the details

alternative formthe devil is in the detail

Origin of the devil is in the details

In allusion to God is in the detail.

Questions about the devil is in the details

What does the devil is in the details mean?
The devil is in the details means the specific provisions of, or particular steps for implementing, a general plan, policy, or contract may be complicated, controversial, or unworkable.
What part of speech is the devil is in the details?
The devil is in the details is a proverb.

Words near the devil is in the details in the dictionary

  1. the devil a one
  2. the devil and the deep blue sea
  3. the devil finds work for idle hands
  4. the devil is a liar
  5. the devil is in the detail
  6. the devil is in the details
  7. the devil looks after his own
  8. the devil makes work for idle hands
  9. the devil take the hindmost
  10. the devil takes care of his own
  11. the devil that you know is better than the devil that you don't know

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: the devil is in the details (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-au-devil is in the details.ogg.

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