black sheep
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black sheep
noun black sheep
-
A nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person, who may be rejected or disdained by others for this reason.
He was the black sheep in the family, as an artist among doctors and lawyers.
Similar: eccentric, free spirit, heteroclite, deviant, deviate, individualist, maverick, misfit, nonconformist, offbeat
-
A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy.
“It’s just what I should have expected,” said Mr. Hawley, mounting his horse. “Any cursed alien blood, Jew, Corsican, or Gypsy.”¶ “I know he’s one of your black sheep, Hawley. But he is really a disinterested, unworldly fellow,” said Mr. Farebrother, smiling.
Similar: bad apple · Opposite: golden child
- A worker who refuses to strike; a scab. It used to be the law that a black sheep could be brought into the fold of conformity: where there were 'recognised terms of employment – a standard created by a collective agreement or award covering a substantial proportion of the employers and workers in any trade or industry […]
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see black, sheep. Baa baa black sheep have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, Three bags full.
Translations
Every language
noun nonconformist
| 中文 | 不墨守成规者 |
|---|---|
| Português | ovelha negra |
| Français | original, excentrique |
| Deutsch | schwarzes Schaf |
| Ελληνικά | μαύρο πρόβατο mávro próvato |
| עברית | כִּבְשָׂה שְׁחֹרָה kivsá shkhorá |
noun person who is not wholesome
| Español | oveja negra |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 厄介者 yakkaimono |
| 中文 | 害群之馬 /害群之马 hàiqúnzhīmǎ, 敗類 /败类 bàilèi |
| Português | ovelha negra |
| Français | mouton noir, brebis galeuse, vilain petit canard |
| Deutsch | schwarzes Schaf |
| Italiano | pecora nera |
| Ελληνικά | μαύρο πρόβατο mávro próvato |
| Русский | парши́вая овца́ paršívaja ovcá |
Talk about this word "black sheep." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/black%20sheep. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. black sheep. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/black%20sheep "black sheep." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/black%20sheep.Cite this
@misc{black_sheep_2026,
title = {black sheep},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/black%20sheep},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
