rogue

noun \ ˈrōg \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 2018

Examples: rogue in a Sentence

Definition of rogue

1 : vagrant, tramp

2 : a dishonest or worthless person : scoundrel

3 : a mischievous person : scamp

4 : a horse inclined to shirk or misbehave

5 : an individual exhibiting a chance and usually inferior biological variation

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roguish

play \ˈrō-gish\ adjective

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roguishly

adverb

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roguishness

noun

See rogue defined for English-language learners

See rogue defined for kids

Examples of rogue in a Sentence

Many of the vagabonds were rogues and cheaters of various kinds, and formed a subcommunity on the fringes of official society. —Charles Barber, Early Modern English, 1976
Cartier decided that the two boys were a choice pair of rogues who would probably try to run him aground if taken as pilots, and that he would dispense with their services. —Samuel Eliot Morison, The European Discovery of America, 1971
His account of their discoveries in the low life of a seaport town would have made a charming book, and in the various characters that came their way the student might easily have found matter for a very complete dictionary of rogues. —W. Somerset Maugham, Moon and Sixpence, 1919
He's a lovable old rogue.
a rogue who had nothing but contempt for people who made their living honestly

Recent Examples of rogue from the Web

Rainway researchers reported the rogue malware to the unnamed service provider that hosted it.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "Rash of Fortnite cheaters infected by malware that breaks HTTPS encryption," 3 July 2018
Likewise, the show's pirates are lovable rogues, at once endearing and threatening, bloodthirsty and cowardly.

— jack helbig, Chicago Reader, "After 139 years, Pirates of Penzance is still a satisfying combination of sweet and salty," 27 June 2018
There are also questions as to how quickly such machines will proliferate and how to deal with such technology in the hands of rogue, non-state actors.

— bloomberg, Fortune, "The U.S. Army Is Planning New, More Complex Battlefield Robots," 18 May 2018
The suit comes as the White House is preparing for a high-stakes meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, with the aim of trying to persuade the rogue nation to denuclearize.

— anne saker, Cincinnati.com, "Warmbiers file lawsuit against North Korea, alleging regime 'tortured and murdered' Otto," 26 Apr. 2018
Now, in the South, contemplating shrinkage and frizz in 90 degree heat and 80% humidity, my hair seems poised to go rogue.

— kate branch, Vogue, "Why, at 31, I Finally Started Wearing My Afro," 29 June 2018
But one of the best on-track moments was in 2004 when a giant inflatable orange went rogue and invaded the XFINITY Series race qualifying.

— michelle r. martinelli, For The Win, "Remembering when a giant inflatable orange invaded NASCAR's Chicago track," 28 June 2018
The mission soon turns south when it's uncovered by the Mexican government and Gilick goes rogue in order to protect the young girl.

— ariston anderson, The Hollywood Reporter, "Ischia Global Festival to Open With 'Sicario: Day of the Soldado'," 26 June 2018
Recent American presidents have refused to do so at least until North Korea complied with past promises to end its nuclear program, arguing that such a meeting would reward what had been seen as an abusive rogue regime.

— tracy wilkinson, latimes.com, "U.S. seeks to assuage Asian allies and secure China's support after North Korea summit," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rogue.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of rogue

of obscure origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1561

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

rogue Synonyms

rogue

verb

Definition of rogue

rogued; roguing or rogueing

intransitive verb

: to weed out inferior, diseased, or nontypical individuals from a crop plant or a field

Recent Examples of rogue from the Web

But a conservative Court of Appeals panel could rogue and decide to disobey Roe and Casey.

— dylan matthews, Vox, "America under Brett Kavanaugh," 11 July 2018

Origin and Etymology of rogue

derivative of ¹rogue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1766

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

fallow, graft, heirloom, loam, potash, soilage, swath, tilth, windfall

rogue

adjective

Definition of rogue

1 : resembling or suggesting a rogue elephant especially in being isolated, aberrant, dangerous, or uncontrollable

capsized by a rogue wave

2 : corrupt, dishonest

rogue cops

3 : of or being a nation whose leaders defy international law or norms of international behavior

rogue states

See rogue defined for English-language learners

Examples of rogue in a Sentence

Americans assume that our country was built by rogue males but there's more to the breed than wanderlust and rugged individualism. —Florence King, National Review, 27 Aug. 2007
Perhaps more important, defense planners worried for the past year about the instability of the Soviet Union and the nightmare that a rogue Soviet submarine skipper might decide on his own to launch close to 200 warheads at U.S. targets. —John Barry, Newsweek, 3 June 1991
In "The In-Laws," Alan Arkin is a dentist led astray by a rogue C.I.A. operative … , whose son his daughter is marrying, and he winds up dodging bullets on a Caribbean island. —Terrence Rafferty, New Yorker, 30 July 1990
a rogue administrator who took bribes to falsify paperwork

Recent Examples of rogue from the Web

Since then, foreign policy watchers have warned that the move would isolate the US, risk further destabilizing the Middle East, and invite another nuclear rogue nation into the world.

— andy greenberg, WIRED, "The Iran Nuclear Deal's Unraveling Raises Fears of Cyberattacks," 9 May 2018
The thing with fentanyl is, rogue chemists can alter its makeup just slightly and change the drug to create new, sometimes even more powerful, and hard-to-identify fentanyl types.

— terry demio, Cincinnati.com, "Covington business grows with the opioid epidemic," 2 July 2018
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website, rogue waves are extremely rare but there are several known causes .

— Washington Post, "Rogue waves hit Hawaii fishing vessel that sank, owner says," 28 Mar. 2018
And the report uncovered new texts between those two rogue FBI agents having an affair, Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

— Fox News, "Two FBI agents sought to 'stop' Trump," 18 June 2018
Yet, in Tehran, Trump’s enthusiastic outreach to a rogue nation with a history of human rights and nonproliferation violations renewed accusations of U.S. hypocrisy.

— ramin mostaghim, latimes.com, "Remember the 'axis of evil'? There's one member left, and its chances for a Trump summit look dim," 14 June 2018
There are doubts that rogue agents could have carried out the attack without approval from the top levels of Russian government.

— kara fox and katie polglase, CNN, "Experts unable to identify source of nerve agent used in Skripal attack," 3 Apr. 2018
The idea is if a rogue nation, such as North Korea, launched a single ICBM toward an American target, it could be destroyed before striking down.

— w.j. hennigan, Time, "Russia Unveiled a New Arsenal of Nuclear Weapons. Should You Be Scared?," 2 Mar. 2018
Pyongyang has for decades proliferated weapons to rogue states including Iran and Syria, says Bruce Bechtol, a professor of political science at Angelo State University who has authored several books on North Korea.

— jamie tarabay, CNN, "How Trump and Kim made it to 'hello'," 9 June 2018

Origin and Etymology of rogue

derivative of ¹rogue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1835

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

rogue Synonyms

Synonyms

crooked, deceptive, dishonest, double-dealing, duplicitous, fast, fraudulent, guileful, shady, sharp, shifty, underhand, underhanded;

Antonyms

aboveboard, honest, straight;

Near Antonyms

conscientious, decent, ethical, honorable, just, scrupulous, upright;

forthright, straightforward;

deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, false;

artful, beguiling, cagey (also cagy), crafty, cunning, foxy, slick, sly, subtle, wily;

defrauding, devious, furtive, slippery, sneaking, sneaky, trickish, tricky;

insidious, perfidious, treacherous;

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

Rogue

geographical name \ ˈrōg \

Definition of Rogue

river about 200 miles (320 kilometers) long in southwestern Oregon rising in Crater Lake National Park and flowing west and southwest into the Pacific Ocean