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WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024knav•ish (nā′vish),USA pronunciation adj. - like or befitting a knave;
untrustworthy; dishonest. - [Archaic.]waggish;
roguish; mischievous.
- Middle English knavyssh. See knave, -ish1 1350–1400
knav′ish•ly, adv. knav′ish•ness, n. WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024knave /neɪv/USA pronunciation n. [countable]- an untrustworthy or dishonest person.
- Games(in cards) the jack.
knav•ish, adj. WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024knave (nāv),USA pronunciation n. - an unprincipled, untrustworthy, or dishonest person.
- Games[Cards.]jack1 (def. 2).
- [Archaic.]
- a male servant.
- a man of humble position.
- bef. 1000; Middle English; Old English cnafa; cognate with German Knabe boy; akin to Old Norse knapi page, boy
- 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged blackguard, villain, scamp, scapegrace. Knave, rascal, rogue, scoundrel are disparaging terms applied to persons considered base, dishonest, or worthless. Knave, which formerly meant merely a boy or servant, in modern use emphasizes baseness of nature and intention:a dishonest and swindling knave.Rascal suggests shrewdness and trickery in dishonesty:a plausible rascal.A rogue is a worthless fellow who sometimes preys extensively upon the community by fraud:photographs of criminals in a rogues' gallery.A scoundrel is a blackguard and rogue of the worst sort:a thorough scoundrel.Rascal and rogue are often used affectionately or humorously (an entertaining rascal; a saucy rogue), but knave and scoundrel are not.
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