"better the devil you know than the devil you don't know" meaning in English

See better the devil you know than the devil you don't know in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Proverb

Head templates: {{head|en|proverb}} better the devil you know than the devil you don't know
  1. Something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown. Synonyms: better the devil you know, better the devil you know than the devil you don't, better the devil you know than the one you don't, better the devil you know than the one you don't know, the devil that you know is better than the devil that you don't know [rare], the devil you know is better than the devil you don't, the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't, the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know Translations (something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown): جني تعرفه ولا انسي ما تعرفه (english: Yemeni Proverb) (Arabic), 未知的危險比已知的危險更加可怕 (Chinese Mandarin), parempi tuttu kuin tuntematon paha (Finnish), man weiß, was man hat, aber weiß nicht, was man kriegt (German), schlimmer geht immer (German), اللي تعرفه خير من اللي متعرفاش (Libyan Arabic), już lepsze znane zło, niż dobro, które masz poznać (Polish), mai bun e un drac știut decât unul necunoscut (Romanian), más vale malo conocido que bueno por conocer (Spanish), más vale diablo conocido que por conocer (Spanish)

Alternative forms

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb"
      },
      "expansion": "better the devil you know than the devil you don't know",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English proverbs",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Arabic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Finnish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with German translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Libyan Arabic translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Mandarin translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Polish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Romanian translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Spanish translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown."
      ],
      "id": "en-better_the_devil_you_know_than_the_devil_you_don't_know-en-proverb-g~xfsuFJ",
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "better the devil you know"
        },
        {
          "word": "better the devil you know than the devil you don't"
        },
        {
          "word": "better the devil you know than the one you don't"
        },
        {
          "word": "better the devil you know than the one you don't know"
        },
        {
          "tags": [
            "rare"
          ],
          "word": "the devil that you know is better than the devil that you don't know"
        },
        {
          "word": "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't"
        },
        {
          "word": "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know"
        },
        {
          "word": "the devil we know is better than the devil we don't"
        },
        {
          "word": "the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "ar",
          "english": "Yemeni Proverb",
          "lang": "Arabic",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "جني تعرفه ولا انسي ما تعرفه"
        },
        {
          "code": "ayl",
          "lang": "Libyan Arabic",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "اللي تعرفه خير من اللي متعرفاش"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "未知的危險比已知的危險更加可怕"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "note": "未知的危险比已知的危险更加可怕 (wèizhī de wēixiǎn bǐ yǐzhī de wēixiǎn gèngjiā kěpà) (no equivalent exists; lit., \"unknown dangers are more terrifying than known dangers\")",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "parempi tuttu kuin tuntematon paha"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "man weiß, was man hat, aber weiß nicht, was man kriegt"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "schlimmer geht immer"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "już lepsze znane zło, niż dobro, które masz poznać"
        },
        {
          "code": "ro",
          "lang": "Romanian",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "mai bun e un drac știut decât unul necunoscut"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "más vale malo conocido que bueno por conocer"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
          "word": "más vale diablo conocido que por conocer"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "better the devil you know than the devil you don't know"
}
{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "proverb"
      },
      "expansion": "better the devil you know than the devil you don't know",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "proverb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English proverbs",
        "Entries with translation boxes",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Terms with Arabic translations",
        "Terms with Finnish translations",
        "Terms with German translations",
        "Terms with Libyan Arabic translations",
        "Terms with Mandarin translations",
        "Terms with Polish translations",
        "Terms with Romanian translations",
        "Terms with Spanish translations"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "better the devil you know"
    },
    {
      "word": "better the devil you know than the devil you don't"
    },
    {
      "word": "better the devil you know than the one you don't"
    },
    {
      "word": "better the devil you know than the one you don't know"
    },
    {
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ],
      "word": "the devil that you know is better than the devil that you don't know"
    },
    {
      "word": "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't"
    },
    {
      "word": "the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know"
    },
    {
      "word": "the devil we know is better than the devil we don't"
    },
    {
      "word": "the devil we know is better than the devil we don't know"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ar",
      "english": "Yemeni Proverb",
      "lang": "Arabic",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "جني تعرفه ولا انسي ما تعرفه"
    },
    {
      "code": "ayl",
      "lang": "Libyan Arabic",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "اللي تعرفه خير من اللي متعرفاش"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "未知的危險比已知的危險更加可怕"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "note": "未知的危险比已知的危险更加可怕 (wèizhī de wēixiǎn bǐ yǐzhī de wēixiǎn gèngjiā kěpà) (no equivalent exists; lit., \"unknown dangers are more terrifying than known dangers\")",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "parempi tuttu kuin tuntematon paha"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "man weiß, was man hat, aber weiß nicht, was man kriegt"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "schlimmer geht immer"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "już lepsze znane zło, niż dobro, które masz poznać"
    },
    {
      "code": "ro",
      "lang": "Romanian",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "mai bun e un drac știut decât unul necunoscut"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "más vale malo conocido que bueno por conocer"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "something bad and familiar is better than something bad and unknown",
      "word": "más vale diablo conocido que por conocer"
    }
  ],
  "word": "better the devil you know than the devil you don't know"
}

Download raw JSONL data for better the devil you know than the devil you don't know meaning in English (3.5kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-11-06 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-10-02 using wiktextract (fbeafe8 and 7f03c9b). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.