knavish

American  

[ney-vish] / ˈneɪ vɪʃ /

adjective

1. like or befitting a knave; untrustworthy; dishonest.

2. Archaic.  waggish; roguish; mischievous.

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Other Word Forms

• knavishly adverb
• knavishness noun

Etymology

Origin of knavish

First recorded in 1350–1400, knavish is from the Middle English word knavyssh. See knave, -ish ¹

Example Sentences

Jess is direct but guarded when it comes to her life, and John is pretentious and calculating, though he gets Jess to open up with his knavish charm.

From New York Times

At one point Mobius freezes the footage to analyze Loki's knavish grin so he can see what everybody else sees, which is someone who delights in others' agony.

From Salon

Which shrewd and knavish sprites devised the Faerie Kebabs, each one a toothpick jammed into an olive, a mushroom and a dried apricot?

From New York Times

Near the end, we get a version of “God Save the Queen” seemingly emitted by a fright-show organ or freaky harpsichord—an anthem for a politics confounded by knavish tricks.

From The New Yorker

His DJ, on the other hand, is a knavish Han Solo type without a mitigating heroic streak.

From The Verge