knavishlyadv.
/ˈneɪvᵻʃli/, U.S. /ˈneɪvᵻʃli/ Now somewhat archaic.
In a knavish manner; esp. unscrupulously, villainously, dishonestly.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > inferiority or baseness > roguery > [adverb]
lorellya1475
knavishly1481
rascally1572
roguishly1611
scoundrelously1681
society > morality > moral evil > wickedness > roguery, knavery, or rascalry > [adverb]
lorellya1475
knavishly1481
rascally1572
knavelya1593
roguishly1611
scoundrelously1681
queerly1699
rapscallionly1699
scampishly1880
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > deceit, deception, trickery > cheating, fraud > [adverb]
fraudulently1474
fraudfullyc1480
fraudelously1481
knavishly1481
overreachingly1571
cozeningly1611
mountebankly1619
quacksalvingly1652
imposterously1657
sharkingly1659
upon the sham1689
on the cross1802
quackishly1816
1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 89 Alas there rauysshyd he and forcyd my wyf so knauisshly that I am ashamed to telle it.
1552 R. Huloet Abcedarium Anglico Latinum Knauishly, proterue, proteruiter.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 423 One of those slaves..had behaved himselfe somewhat too insolently and knavishly against him.
1682 E. Cellier Refl. upon Murder S. Edmund-Bury Godfrey 16 It was not onely Knavishly done to cover Coleman's Treasons..but also wickedly done.
a1721 M. Prior Misc. Wks. (1740) II. 37 That he did likewise trait'rously..Enrich himself most knavishly.
1796 T. Holcroft Man of Ten Thousand i. i. 2 The man has all the vulgar insolence of wealth, newly and knavishly acquired.
1825 J. R. McCulloch Princ. Polit. Econ. ii. ii. 84 As it has been sometimes ignorantly or knavishly represented.
1891 Punch 24 Oct. 204/1 The Music-hall Muse ‘winks’ knowingly, and knavishly, at her audience.
1919 F. R. Stockton Buccaneers & Pirates of our Coast xxv. 227 A black-hearted pirate..who had not only acted knavishly toward the world in general, but had behaved most disloyally and disrespectfully toward a fellow pirate chief.
2006 Halifax (Nova Scotia) Daily News (Nexis) 26 Mar. 13 Don't waste our time trying knavishly to distract attention away from the real question at hand.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2014; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adv.1481