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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knavish
Adjective
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Burnett pauses, considers the question, and then flashes a mischievous grin.—
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Dave, feeling mischievous, ushered them towards a window seat and what, on the face of it, seemed a prime spot.—
Adjective
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Park Chan-wook’s latest masterwork is a wicked comedy of capitalism and homicide.—
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So much so that a few of the most popular colorways sold out wicked fast.—
Adjective
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Hudson’s performance kicks into a surprising dramatic gear, the actress’s playful Milwaukee accent settling into a relatively somber key, grappling with dreams dashed.—
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From minimalist finishes to playful graphics and elevated textures, these manicures set the tone for the year ahead, proving that short nails aren’t a fallback—they’re the focus.—
Cite this Entry
“Knavish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knavish. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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