as in mischievous
tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness
a knavish bunch of urchins racing pell-mell through the marketplace
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Recent Examples of knavish
Wells could be playful, knavish, and his tone here is one of urgency and optimism about the distribution of information.
—
BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2021
The same people who are now telling us that only Republican-voting obscurantists, ignorant deplorables and knavish right-wing media pundits are raising doubts about the vaccine would have been oozing skepticism.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 12 July 2021
BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2021
The same people who are now telling us that only Republican-voting obscurantists, ignorant deplorables and knavish right-wing media pundits are raising doubts about the vaccine would have been oozing skepticism.
—Gerard Baker, WSJ, 12 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knavish
Adjective
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Creative courage returns as the instinctive Moon conjoins mischievous Mercury in your 5th House of Play, urging you to express whatever stirs within.—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Mar. 2026
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However, his capacity to transform physically yet never lose the beautiful mind and mischievous spirit of genius Stephen Hawking, living with the paralyzing effects of ALS, is what's supremely remarkable about his performance.—
Devan Coggan,
Entertainment Weekly,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Datebook Picks The wicked original was a black satire with ripping action and a kick-ass lead played with intelligence.—
Michael Ordoña,
San Francisco Chronicle,
18 Mar. 2026
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Like Becky Sharp, the willful, wicked lead of William Makepeace Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, Heidi rolled her eyes at her dutiful counterpart.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The fashion icon made a playful reference to the film while presenting the award for best makeup and hairstyling alongside Hathaway.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
16 Mar. 2026
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The collection was still as sexy as ever though, with the playful print appearing on itty-bitty bikinis, barely-there blouses, and, as seen here in look 3, low-slung trousers.—
Rosie Jarman,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knavish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knavish. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
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