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

Explanation

Use the word knavish to describe someone who is mischievous, like a rascal or a hooligan. Their knavish behavior might seem playful, but it can be dangerously thoughtless. Since the 14th century, this adjective has been used to mean "low or vulgar" or "like a knave" though both knave and knavish are rarely used these days. A knave was originally simply "a boy." As time went on, the word gained negative connotations, meaning "rogue or rascal" by the 1200s. So anyone who acts in a rascally way — playing pranks, being disobedient, or teasing little kids — is knavish.

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 • Oct. 3, 2022

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

From The Verge • Mar. 30, 2018

Gentle readers will recall that this is the Shakespeare play in which, among a great many other things, a knavish sprite named Puck turns a man into an ass.

From Salon • Jun. 28, 2017

The phrase "Thy choicest gifts in store" sounds like a supermarket advert, and "knavish tricks" is all too reminiscent of the Bullingdon Club.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 2016

I thought of the knavish Edmund and his dark desires.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein