rogue

noun \ ˈrōg \

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

While most Republicans were putting out party line statements supporting President Trump's new Afghanistan policy, renegade Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was going rogue on Twitter.

— carl weiser, Cincinnati.com, "NKY's GOP Rep. Thomas Massie rips Trump Afghan policy in Tweetstorm," 22 Aug. 2017
And then, suddenly, your period decides to go rogue and switch things up — and that can be downright terrifying.

— beth anne macaluso, Redbook, "What Your Period Says About Your Health As You Get Older," 9 Aug. 2017
Even so, a massive turnout Sunday rejecting the plan would be another signal to the world that the administration has gone rogue and is ignoring the will of the people, analysts said.

— jim wyss, miamiherald, "Venezuelan weekend vote seen as last chance to stop power grab," 13 July 2017
The best option is to go rogue: Research the cities beforehand, and plan your own personal itinerary.

— priya krishna, Bon Appetit, "How to Stay Healthy On a Cruise," 10 July 2017

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

See Words from the same year

rogue Synonyms

Synonyms

baddie (or baddy), beast, brute, caitiff, devil, evildoer, fiend, heavy, hound, knave, meanie (also meany), miscreant, monster, nazi, no-good, rapscallion, rascal, reprobate, villain, savage, scalawag (or scallywag), scamp, scapegrace, scoundrel, varlet, wretch

Related Words

villainess; blackguard; criminal, crook, culprit, felon, lawbreaker, malefactor, offender, perp, perpetrator, transgressor; sinner, trespasser, wrongdoer; cad, heel, serpent, snake, viper; bandit, bravo, desperado, outlaw; con, convict, jailbird; assassin, cutthroat, gangster, goon, gunman, hoodlum, hooligan, racketeer, ruffian, thug; rough, rowdy, tough; loser, lowlife, ne'er-do-well, stinker, trash

Near Antonyms

angel, innocent, saint; hero

rogue

verb \ ˈrōg \

Definition of rogue

rogued; roguing or rogueing

intransitive verb

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

Origin and Etymology of rogue

derivative of ¹rogue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1766

See Words from the same year

Other Agriculture/Gardening Terms

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

rogue

adjective \ ˈrōg \

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

Condé Nast Traveler is still encouraging visitors to head across the Shivering Sea to explore Westeros and Essos (granted, all should be wary of rogue spears, poison, beheadings, and weddings).

— Condé Nast Traveler, "Hot (Pie) Tables," 25 Aug. 2017
The last question is just what a group of scientists were trying to figure out last week when a local news site ARLnow.com reported the seemingly rogue vehicle and started digging in.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "Man Dresses Up Like a Car Seat for Science," 7 Aug. 2017
Beijing has, over the years, portrayed the companies who do business with the North as rogue firms, small private traders who worked hard to stay in the shadows and thus were difficult to control.

— bill powell, MSNBC Newsweek, "Will Trump Stop the 10 Chinese Companies Supplying North Korea's Nuclear Program?," 13 July 2017
The White House is considering a more aggressive military strategy against North Korea, a potentially dangerous move given the nation's nuclear armament and history of rogue foreign policy.

— lauren duca, Teen Vogue, "The CNNBlackmail Hashtag Is a Reminder to Stop Feeding the Trolls," 7 July 2017
But the new work is raising troubling questions about how terrorists or rogue states could use modern biotechnology.

— ryan cross, Science | AAAS, "Top stories: The secrets of Roman concrete, superfast stars, and making a pox from mail-order DNA," 7 July 2017
For Ganguly, a biochemist, the rogue golf ball was life-changing, according to her blog post about the incident.

— morgan cook, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Golf balls careen from San Diego courses, causing damage, pain," 30 June 2017
But not to fear, the red river is actually dyed on purpose and is not suddenly awash in some rogue pollutant.

— meredith carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "This French River Just Turned Blood Red," 27 June 2017
By locating the address in the Instagram comments, instead of in the malware's code itself, the hackers make the rogue program harder to trace.

— aaron pressman, Fortune, "Data Sheet—Monday, June 12, 2017," 12 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of rogue

derivative of ¹rogue

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1835

See Words from the same year

rogue Synonyms

Synonyms

bent [chiefly British], crooked, deceptive, double-dealing, duplicitous, fast, fraudulent, guileful, dishonest, shady, sharp, shifty, underhand, underhanded

Antonyms

aboveboard, honest, straight

Related Words

unconscionable, unethical, unprincipled, unscrupulous; 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

Near Antonyms

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

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