1
as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
the sort of frat-boy knaveries that become the stuff of campus legend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in mischief
playful, reckless behavior that is not intended to cause serious harm
suspects some knavery going on in the political campaign
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knavery
Noun
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Of course, the pranks are all in good fun, with owners keeping things safe and playful.—
Kendall Malinchock,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026 -
And for 2026, the channel pulled off its creepiest prank yet, with a terrifying claymation short lifted from a one of their most popular shows.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Four other charges in that case — including assault, criminal mischief and domestic violence in the presence of a child — were dismissed with prejudice, the records show.—
Meriam Bouarrouj,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
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Christopher Nastasa, 39, was arrested on 19 charges, including robbery, assault, petit larceny and criminal mischief as hate crimes, for the March 17 attack, according to police.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Old dog learns new tricks UConn forward Alex Karaban, who played on the 2023 and ’24 champions, is attempting to become the first non-UCLA player to win three national championships.—
Sean Hammond,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
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The brain bug's intrinsic ick factor is undeniably high, but using their proboscises to suck thoughts directly from the brains of their unfortunate victims is a pretty neat party trick.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Still, the pure rascality in these extravagant self-inventions shouldn’t be overlooked.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
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Naturally, such rascality didn't do overall fuel economy any favors; in fact, my average was just 20 mpg (11.8 L/100 km) over the course of 125 miles at the E 350's helm.—
Peter Nelson,
Ars Technica,
18 Apr. 2024
Noun
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That’s flimflam, that’s roguery.—
Helen Shaw,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2022
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His own father, famously, had been a confidence trickster, and le Carré was therefore all too well equipped to mount a lifelong investigation into the uses of roguery, not to mention sleights of hand, some of them amounting to a national disgrace.—
Anthony Lane,
The New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2020
Noun
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Mustard and vinegar provide the devilment for a flavorful bite, particularly when topped with a scattering of scallions and paprika.—
SAVEUR Editors,
Saveur,
5 Feb. 2025
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But even if truffles are beyond your pay grade, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in the sheer devilment portrayed in this informative and appetizing book.—
Eugenia Bone,
WSJ,
10 July 2019
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Cite this Entry
“Knavery.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knavery. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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