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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Example Sentences
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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
-
Serial killers with a code, far-future space operas, superheroes doing battle with dastardly villains.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
-
But just to use an example, Force Awakens sets up Snoke as the big villain of the new trilogy, with a mysterious backstory.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
12 July 2025
Noun
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King's polo playing husband, Bill Mitchell — who went on to become a director for Texaco — became the model for Daisy’s rich brute of a husband, Tom Buchanan.—
Jordan Runtagh,
People.com,
5 June 2025
-
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
Noun
-
There may devils in these details Jenkins is a former Detroit City Council president and nonprofit CEO.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
3 July 2025
-
In retrospect, both fans and Grenier himself have asserted that Nate may be the actual villain of The Devil Wears Prada, and not the titular devil herself.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
Call of Cthulhu flipped a lot of gaming conventions on their head with characters that degraded over time and scenarios that rewarded fleeing monsters instead of slaying them.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
3 July 2025
-
While the menu will be nearly identical to the Overland Park spot — fajita omelets, banana monster waffles, breakfast tacos, etc. — the Westport spot will have more drink options.—
Jenna Thompson
July 2,
Kansas City Star,
2 July 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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Alyn, much like Spiranac, gets her share of social media scoundrels in her mentions.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
1 July 2025
-
The series, to be teased at Disney’s Upfronts presentation on Tuesday, portrays women helping women to leave their cheating, scoundrel husbands.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
13 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
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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 18 Jul. 2025.
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