Definition

Adjective: 1. Dishonest or deceitful in character or behavior: Describes someone who acts with trickery, deception, or unscrupulous cunning. 2. (Archaic) Mischievous or roguish: In older usage, describes someone who is playfully mischievous or behaves like a rogue.

Usage and Examples

• Describing deceitful character or actions:
  • The merchant's knavish scheme to sell counterfeit goods was eventually uncovered.
  • She was known for her knavish tricks, always finding a way to cheat the system.
• (Archaic) Describing playful roguishness:
  • The tale featured a knavish sprite who loved playing pranks on the villagers.

Advanced Usage

• "Knavish behavior": A common collocation referring to actions characterized by dishonesty or trickery.
  • The company's downfall was attributed to the CEO's knavish behavior.
• Literary/Descriptive Use: Often used in literary contexts to colorfully describe a villainous or untrustworthy character trait.
  • The detective saw a knavish glint in the suspect's eye.

Variants and Related Words

• Knave (noun): A dishonest or unscrupulous man; a rogue. This is the noun from which "knavish" is derived.
  • He was revealed to be a knave who had betrayed his friends.
• Knavery (noun): Dishonest or unscrupulous behavior; trickery.
  • The election was marred by accusations of political knavery.

Synonyms

• Deceitful: Guilty of or involving deception.
• Dishonest: Behaving or prone to behave in an untrustworthy or fraudulent way.
• Unscrupulous: Having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.
• Cunning: Having or showing skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion.
• Sly: Having or showing a cunning and deceitful nature.

Antonyms

• Honest: Free of deceit and untruthfulness; sincere.
• Upright: Strictly honorable or honest.
• Scrupulous: Very concerned to avoid doing wrong.
• Guileless: Devoid of guile; innocent and without deception.

Adjective

1. marked by skill in deception
   • cunning men often pass for wise
   • deep political machinations
   • a foxy scheme
   • a slick evasive answer
   • sly as a fox
   • tricky Dick
   • a wily old attorney