knaves

noun

plural of knave
as in villains
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 knaves Try for yourselves, ye witless knaves— Take each to bed your Sally! — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knaves
  1. villains
  2. brutes
  3. criminals
  4. savages
  5. devils
  6. monsters
  7. scoundrels
Noun
  • The New Zealander drew international acclaim for roles as gruff loners and unhinged villains.
    — Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 13 July 2026
  • Neill played dashing heroes, sinister villains (see The Piano), authority figures, famous figures, and father figures.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 July 2026
Definition of villains
Noun
  • These brutes commonly exceed 50 pounds.
    — Keith Sutton, Outdoor Life, 18 June 2026
  • In Raspail’s tale, hordes of impoverished and dark-​skinned brutes from India descend onto French shores by way of rafts, the first wave of an invasion of the civilized West by the brown-​skinned developing world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Apr. 2026
Definition of brutes
Noun
  • Supporters will argue that criminals should not be able to hide behind wallets.
    — Susie Violet Ward, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
  • And just like Alito, some members of my family have forgotten our history and support Trump or favor some of his immigration policies, dismissing new arrivals as criminals or lazy.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Definition of criminals
Noun
  • Or a group of shipwrecked boys turning into savages and killing one another?
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
  • The Indians in Westerns had war paint and whooped like savages.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
Definition of savages
Noun
  • The 152 rooms celebrate Tasmania’s cultural and creative spirit, from the contemporary paintings of thylacines and Tasmanian devils, to the Blackheart sassafras ceiling inlays.
    — Riley Wilson, Travel + Leisure, 19 June 2026
  • But there are lots of potential devils in the details (otherwise there’d be little need for experimental reactors).
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 9 June 2026
Definition of devils
Noun
  • With its vivid monsters and an emphatic, complex dive into the human heart, Homer has inspired countless adaptations, from stage, screen, television, comics, alongside a continuous stream of new translations.
    — Stephen Schaefer, Boston Herald, 14 July 2026
  • At their Czech–Indian wedding, Jacob and Mia’s tradition-hungry guests unexpectedly begin transforming into flesh-eating monsters.
    — John Hopewell, Variety, 14 July 2026
Definition of monsters
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
  • New Orleans has long been notorious for embracing such scoundrels, a reputation that isn’t exactly helped by the fact that, for many years, disgraced attorneys who lost their licenses in Louisiana and applied for readmission to the bar often got it.
    — Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Definition of scoundrels

Browse Nearby Words

knavery
knaves
knavish
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Cite this Entry

“Knaves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knaves. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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