knave

American  

[nayv] / 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

My, that Scrooge was a scurvy knave: repossessing houseboats, stealing ugly sweaters, hiding his ill-gotten gains in a litter box.

From New York Times ● Dec. 25, 2014

I learned more than I’d care to know about being a knave and a rascal and committing roguery of all sorts, but minding our longitude and latitude was enough to keep me busy.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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

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

Wasn’t it Shakespeare who said, “The world is equal parts knaves and princes./Each thinks the other foolish, dim and low”? No. It was me, just now.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 14, 2015

“Some will. Not all. We have our cowards and our knaves, our weaklings and our fools, as do they.”

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin