knave

noun

ˈnāv How to pronounce knave (audio)
Definition of knavenext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of knave Try for yourselves, ye witless knaves— Take each to bed your Sally! — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026 Many a knave is rich, sleek, and honored, while the just man is poor, hated, and in torment. — Sara Tenenbaum, CBS News, 18 June 2026 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
  1. villain
  2. brute
  3. devil
  4. monster
  5. savage
  6. scoundrel
Noun
  • The Modi government has portrayed the demonstrators as villains.
    — Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 20 July 2026
  • In the comic, twin brothers Sean and Chris learn their bodies have been enhanced by nanotechnology, thrusting them into a fight against the villain Deadalus within a futuristic world where nature and technology exist side by side.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 20 July 2026
Definition of villain
Noun
  • Shinnecock was still a brute of a test, but the red numbers on the white scoreboard were an unfamiliar site for this course.
    — Doug Ferguson, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
  • These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
    — Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
Definition of brute
Noun
  • Common examples include dumb cane, calla lily, pothos or devil’s ivy, peace lily, Chinese evergreen, elephant ear, ZZ plant, philodendron, Swiss cheese plant and flamingo plant.
    — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 14 July 2026
  • On the finish, notes of warming oak with tannins to spare, devil’s food cake, root beer, demerara syrup, black cherry, vanilla, espresso grounds and clove.
    — Chris Perugini, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of devil
Noun
  • Inside a San Fernando workshop, Samuel McBride makes movie monsters come to life for the camera.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
  • In his fullest public argument yet about his thinking, Thiel and co-author Sam Wolfe write the figure of ultimate evil is best understood not as a monster or a tyrant but as a technocrat.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 July 2026
Definition of monster
Noun
  • Schoolchildren meet veterans from the savage fight in Ukraine.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • Perhaps the most striking thing about this savage beatdown is its sweetly melodic backing track.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026
Definition of savage
Noun
  • And the surviving cartel scoundrels take the parting shot by kidnapping beloved Carter, putting a hood on him and taking the boy off.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Star Wars Outlaws on Switch 2 drops you into the galaxy’s underworld as Kay Vess, a scoundrel trying to pull off the biggest heist in the Outer Rim.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 26 June 2026
Definition of scoundrel

Browse Nearby Words

knapsacks
knave
knaveries
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Cite this Entry

“Knave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knave. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of knave for Spanish Speakers

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