knave

(nāv)

1. An unprincipled, crafty fellow.

a. A male servant.

b. A man of humble birth.

3. Games See jack.

[Middle English, from Old English cnafa, boy, male servant.]

knav′ish adj.

knav′ish·ly adv.

knav′ish·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

knav•ish

(ˈneɪ vɪʃ)

adj.

like or befitting a knave; untrustworthy; dishonest.

[1350–1400]

knav′ish•ly, adv.

knav′ish•ness, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adj.

knavish - marked by skill in deception; "cunning men often pass for wise"; "deep political machinations"; "a foxy scheme"; "a slick evasive answer"; "sly as a fox"; "tricky Dick"; "a wily old attorney"

crafty, foxy, guileful, sly, tricksy, wily, cunning, dodgy, tricky, slick

artful - marked by skill in achieving a desired end especially with cunning or craft; "the artful dodger"; "an artful choice of metaphors"

knavish

adjective (Old-fashioned) dishonest, tricky, fraudulent, deceptive, unscrupulous, rascally, scoundrelly, deceitful, villainous, unprincipled, dishonourable, roguish up to their knavish tricks again
principled, noble, honourable, honest, trustworthy

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

knavish

[ˈneɪvɪʃ] ADJ → bellaco, bribón, vil

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

knavish

adj (Brit old) → bübisch (old), → schurkisch

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007