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
How does history distinguish knaves from legendary figures?
—
W.e. Gutman, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2025
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
W.e. Gutman, Sun Sentinel, 8 July 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knave
Noun
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The movie does attempt to gesture at class and race as thematic underpinnings (the maids trapped in The Virgil are mostly non-white, while the villains are rich Caucasians), but like the story and action at large, these go pretty much nowhere, and feel like obligatory symbols.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
18 Mar. 2026
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Each ship name in the class has fed into a theme on board, with Wish tied to enchantment, Treasure to adventure and Destiny to heroes and villains.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The psychology that Bryk wrote for these young men is the key as to why these brutes are more lovable than unbearable.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
14 Mar. 2026
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Bay Hill was a brute before the round was halted for just over an hour because of heavy rain.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Is chocolate devil’s food cake with ganache your favorite birthday cake?—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Mar. 2026
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Its theme — that the rich are different, and in not-good ways — meant she’d be forced into a ritualistic game of hide-and-seek, running for her life from her devil-worshipping, masters-of-the-world in-laws.—
Michael Ordoña,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Adebayo had a monster first half with 20 points (9 for 14 shooting) and 13 boards against a team that leads the league in rebounding.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
22 Mar. 2026
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Adapted from a Japanese novel, the unusual story revolves around a spirit responsible for guiding transient souls to their next reincarnation, who embarks on a perilous mission with a young girl to prevent her being overwhelmed by her anger and transforming into a monster.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Just as all British became painted as corrupt as part of their national character, so too did all Native people become seen as savage by their biological nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 Mar. 2026
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Reaction from Illinois politicians was swift, and savage.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Sure, the Oscar-winning makeup helps transform the actor into Cheney, but the voice and petulance are all Bale, whose conjuring of this scoundrel ought to trigger PTSD for anyone who survived the Dubya years.—
Tim Grierson,
Vulture,
7 Mar. 2026
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Political leaders who encourage or tolerate such scoundrels should be driven from office.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
23 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knave. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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