as in villain
a mean, evil, or unprincipled person
he plays the role of the duplicitous knave who tries to foil the play's hero
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Recent Examples of knave
The modern health insurer is regarded as either a knave or a pawn and is seldom regarded as a knight.
—
Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Human beings are motivated by virtue (knights) or rigid self-interest (knaves), or are passive victims of their circumstances (pawns).
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Implications Le Grand's work on post-World War II British social policy found that perceptions of human motivations gradually transformed, with the prevailing view of the typical British citizenry morphing from knight into knave as the costs of maintaining an expensive welfare state increased.
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Still, our heroes are not traditional heroes but rather scoundrels and knaves and outcasts, all of whom have complex inner turmoil and compelling character arcs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
The modern health insurer is regarded as either a knave or a pawn and is seldom regarded as a knight.
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Human beings are motivated by virtue (knights) or rigid self-interest (knaves), or are passive victims of their circumstances (pawns).
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Still, our heroes are not traditional heroes but rather scoundrels and knaves and outcasts, all of whom have complex inner turmoil and compelling character arcs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Alice begs for the knave’s freedom, putting herself in danger.
—Liesbeth Powers, Dallas News, 27 May 2023
Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Human beings are motivated by virtue (knights) or rigid self-interest (knaves), or are passive victims of their circumstances (pawns).
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Implications Le Grand's work on post-World War II British social policy found that perceptions of human motivations gradually transformed, with the prevailing view of the typical British citizenry morphing from knight into knave as the costs of maintaining an expensive welfare state increased.
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Still, our heroes are not traditional heroes but rather scoundrels and knaves and outcasts, all of whom have complex inner turmoil and compelling character arcs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
The modern health insurer is regarded as either a knave or a pawn and is seldom regarded as a knight.
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Human beings are motivated by virtue (knights) or rigid self-interest (knaves), or are passive victims of their circumstances (pawns).
—Sachin H. Jain, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Still, our heroes are not traditional heroes but rather scoundrels and knaves and outcasts, all of whom have complex inner turmoil and compelling character arcs.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Alice begs for the knave’s freedom, putting herself in danger.
—Liesbeth Powers, Dallas News, 27 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knave
Noun
-
Welcome to the Post-Trust Era A social media app isn’t the villain.—
Ankush Chowdhary,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
-
Clayface is shape-shifting villain in the Batman comics and got his introduction as part of Detective Comics #40 in June 1940.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
17 June 2025
Noun
-
This freshly re-imagined Jag is worlds apart from that old German brute, but was similar in the sense of feeling wonderfully light and responsive, and utilizing hydraulic fluid to power its steering.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
Cops released surveillance photos of a trio of brutes wanted for punching, repeatedly stabbing and robbing a man on a Bronx train last month.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
And Tony nominee Daniel J. Watts nails his portrayal of Sammy Davis Jr. as a real-life devil on the shoulder of the conflicted trailblazer, while Krystal Joy Brown, Kathy Fitzgerald, Ruby Lewis and Kenita Miller turn out stellar performances in multiple roles.—
Karu F. Daniels,
New York Daily News,
12 June 2025
-
Photo : Riva Yachts Riva 68 Diable The 68 Diable lives up to its name—a handsome devil that will be the most stunning yacht at Venice.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
28 May 2025
Noun
-
The monster season Soto gave the Yankees last year, leading them to the World Series, is what the Padres expected from him.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 June 2025
-
Today, that monster lives on, not in steel and speakers, but in light.—
Noah Eckstein,
HollywoodReporter,
23 June 2025
Noun
-
Often regarded by historians as a collection of savage tribes, the Scythians emerge as a pivotal force of the ancient world in this monumental history.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
30 Jan. 2023
-
Nearly 32 years ago, Rodney King’s savage beating by police in Los Angeles prompted heartfelt calls for change.—
Aaron Morrison, Claudia Lauer and Adrian Sainz,
Anchorage Daily News,
29 Jan. 2023
Noun
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Yet each performance feels angled at a slightly different degree, one distinct acting turn making all the difference between a charming scoundrel, a depressed artist, a loyal sidekick, an aloof intellectual, or a precocious kid.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
12 June 2025
-
Is Jim Ellis a live-fast, die-young scoundrel or just a mostly pretty nice guy with a heart of gold who just happens to be working for the mob?—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Noun
-
Since then, he’s been a haunted wretch of a character: stoned, sullen, stuck with recurring visions of shooting his wife and himself.—
Sophie Gilbert,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2025
-
The unfortunate wretch makes an exciting escape, killing her captor in the process.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knave. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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