knave

American  

[neyv] / neɪv /

noun

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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Related Words

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

• knavish
  adjective
• knavishly
  adverb
• knavishness
  noun

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

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

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

He approvingly quotes the Scottish philosopher R. M. Wenley, who called it, among other things, the resort “of the knave, who knows just enough about life to deem himself able to laugh at it.”

From New York Times • Aug. 1, 2018

“Comey is a hero or a knave depending on your perspective,” Eisenhower told me.

From Washington Post • Mar. 30, 2018

That has continued to be the central complaint against rhetoric ever since: that it gives the plausible ignoramus or the self- interested dissembler—the knave or the fool—power over the good and the wise.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith