knave

American  

[neyv] / neɪv /

noun

knaves plural

1. an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person.

   Synonyms:

   scapegrace, scamp, villain, blackguard

2. Cards. jack.

3. Archaic.

   1. a male servant.

   2. a man of humble position.

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knave British  

/ neɪv /

noun

1. archaic a dishonest man; rogue

2. another word for jack 1

3. obsolete a male servant

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Synonym Usage

Knave, rascal, rogue, scoundrel are disparaging terms applied to persons considered base, dishonest, or worthless. Knave, which formerly meant merely a boy or servant, in modern use emphasizes baseness of nature and intention: a dishonest and swindling knave. Rascal suggests shrewdness and trickery in dishonesty: a plausible rascal. A rogue is a worthless fellow who sometimes preys extensively upon the community by fraud: photographs of criminals in a rogues' gallery. A scoundrel is a blackguard and rogue of the worst sort: a thorough scoundrel. Rascal and rogue are often used affectionately or humorously ( an entertaining rascal; a saucy rogue ), but knave and scoundrel are not.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• knavishness
  noun
• knavish
  adjective
• knavishly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• knaves
  plural

Etymology

Origin of knave

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English cnafa; cognate with German Knabe “boy”; akin to Old Norse knapi “page, boy”

Explanation

You don't hear about knaves much these days: it's an older word for a rascal, a scoundrel, or a rogue. It isn't a compliment. If you read Shakespeare for long, you'll definitely see the word knave more than once. In Shakespeare, an important person like a king or a prince might call a thief a knave. Knaves always tend to be up to trouble. You don't want to trust a knave; knaves lie, deceive, and betray. Today, we might call a knave a "scoundrel" or a "good-for-nothing."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

knave knaves

The late Renaissance came to life in knave overalls with blousy tops, sequined skirts that suggested chain mail armor and tapestry detailing on jacket sleeves.

From Seattle Times ● May 25, 2023

Dr. Seuss: Will: Thou knave who pens these “books” for youth, with talking fauna most uncouth: Thy “doctorate”? The thought’s absurd!

From Washington Post ● Apr. 2, 2020

The answer is ‘‘No.’’ This tells you that the speaker is a knave, for a knight would answer ‘‘Yes.’’

From Scientific American ● Feb. 26, 2019

But who is the knave and who is the hero remains the question, because often they are both.

From New York Times ● Dec. 10, 2014

Vexed and annoyed, I cried out to the absent Hamlet, “You are a knave indeed to abuse me so with your lies and promises! You are not worthy of my love!”

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Despite another two-plus centuries of self-regulation and government regulation, the line between honest men and knaves on Wall Street remains fluid.

From Barron's ● Mar. 1, 2026

It is led by a fool who is surrounded by knaves.

From Salon ● Jan. 7, 2023

Full disclosure: I and my coauthors sprinkled knights and knaves all over our logic book.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 26, 2019

I thought that these moms would want to talk about what they’d done wrong as parents to have raised sons who might be villains, or at least knaves.

From Time ● Sep. 6, 2017

She sang along with grizzled old serving men and anxious young wives, with serving girls and soldiers, cooks and falconers, knights and knaves, squires and spit boys and nursing mothers.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin