knavishly
- adverb
- /ˈneɪvɪʃli/
- Archaic
:
astutamente
- The cat knavishly stole food from the table when no one was looking.
Examples
-
He knavishly tricked his friends into believing he had won the lottery.
-
The moon smiled knavishly, and the stars glittered with delight as they sighted Cupid flying down Toulouse Street, blushing red from head to foot, with a flaccid bow and an empty quiver.
Fiction book (1995) -
She knavishly deceived her classmates to get ahead in the competition.
Synonyms
8
6.1
In a secret, clever way so others do not notice
5
6.5
In a clever and dishonest way to trick people
5
6.7
In a clever way to trick or deceive someone
4
3.5
In a way that tries to trick or cheat other people
2
4.9
In a secret way so other people do not notice
2
7.1
In a dishonest way to get money or power
1
6.5
To use clever tricks to get what you want without telling the truth
1
7.6
To break someone's trust by betraying them
1
6.3
In a way that tries to trick someone
1
8.9
In a very dishonest or illegal way
In a clever, tricky way to get what you want
In a clever way that tries to fool someone
In a sly, clever way that hides real plans
In a secret, dishonest way to get an unfair advantage
In a dishonest way to get money or power
In a dishonest way that betrays trust
In a way that shows someone is dishonest or evasive
How Deceitful
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Knavishly comes from the older word knave, which once meant 'boy' or 'servant' and later came to mean a 'dishonest person' or trickster. So, to act knavishly is to behave like a sly, dishonest person who uses tricks to get what they want.