Play devil's advocate Neutral

To deliberately argue against a position, or take an unpopular side, purely for the sake of testing the argument or provoking discussion, not because one actually holds that view.

It’s used to signal that the disagreement is a rhetorical exercise rather than a genuine attack, often as a way to stress-test an idea before committing to it.

The phrase comes directly from a real office in the Roman Catholic Church’s canonization process, formally called the “advocatus diaboli” in Latin. This role’s job was to argue against a candidate’s sainthood, deliberately raising doubts, questioning evidence of miracles, and highlighting character flaws, precisely so that canonization would only proceed if it could withstand rigorous opposition. The office is formally documented as established under Pope Sixtus V in 1587, though an earlier, less formalized instance of the same function appears in the canonization proceedings for Saint Lawrence Justinian under Pope Leo X between 1513 and 1521. Pope John Paul II substantially reduced the role’s independent authority in 1983, folding its function into that of the “Promoter of Justice,” though the underlying idea of built-in institutional skepticism survives in the modern process. The secular, everyday use of “devil’s advocate” for anyone arguing a position they don’t personally hold, purely to test it, developed as a natural figurative extension of this specific Church office.

I actually agree with you, I’m just playing devil’s advocate to see how strong your argument is.

Let me play devil’s advocate for a second: what if the plan fails?

She loves playing devil’s advocate in team meetings, even when she agrees with the majority.

A: Why are you arguing the other side? B: Just playing devil’s advocate.