rogue
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rogue¹
- /ˈɹəʊɡ/ UK
- /ˈɹoʊɡ/ US
Rhymes with -əʊɡ
Where it comes from
Uncertain. From either:
* Earlier English roger (“a begging vagabond who pretends to be a poor scholar from Oxford or Cambridge”), possibly from Latin rogō (“to ask”).
* Middle French rogue (“arrogant, haughty”), from Old Northern French rogre (“aggressive”), from Old Norse hrokr (“excess, exuberance”), for which see Icelandic hroki (“arrogance”), though OED does not document this.
* Celtic; see Breton rog (“haughty”).
noun rogues · rouge
-
A scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person.
And meet time it was, when yon usher, vinegar-faced rogue that he is, began to inquire what popish trangam you were wearing […]
Similar: antimodel, bad guy, baddie, bastard, beggar, blackguard, bounder, cad, cockatrice, coistril, evildoer, fustilarian
- A mischievous scamp. Ah, you sweet little rogue, you!
- A vagrant.
- Malware that deceitfully presents itself as antispyware. An entry in the Microsoft Malware Protection Center's Threat Research & Response Blog shows that rogue AV, also known as scareware, is ruling the malware roost, as 6 top of the 10 malicious programs removed by the MSRT (Malicious Software Removal Tool) in the US in October were 'rogues'.
- An aggressive animal separate from the herd, especially an elephant. If he is a rogue, and there's any truth to territoriality at all, we got a good chance of spotting him between Cape Scott and South Beach.
- A horse, mule, or donkey that is difficult to control; a refractory horse, especially a racehorse. The rogues among the horses and mules sought every chance to break the line and hide under shady trees where sweet grass grew.
- A plant that shows some undesirable variation. Maintaining varieties also requires selection, however. It's usually referred to as culling or roguing. ...we examine the [plant] population and eliminate the occasional rogue.
- A character class focusing on stealthy conduct. As a rogue, I weave together light and heavy attacks, sometimes holding a button longer to charge an attack and build up the stagger meter on an enemy.
adjective more rogue · most rogue · rouge
- Vicious and solitary. Mosquito. One lone rogue mosquito.
- Large, destructive and unpredictable.
- Deceitful, unprincipled. In the minds of Republican hard-liners, the "Silent Majority" of Americans who had elected the President, and even Nixon's two Democrat predecessors, China was a gigantic nuke-wielding rogue state prepared to overrun the free world at any moment.
- Mischievous, unpredictable. Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort
verb rogues · roguing · rogueing · rogued · rouge
- To cull; to destroy plants not meeting a required standard, especially when saving seed, rogue or unwanted plants are removed before pollination. Maintaining varieties also requires selection, however. It's usually referred to as culling or roguing. ...we examine the [plant] population and eliminate the occasional rogue.
- To cheat. And then to think that Mark should have rogued me of five shiners! He was clever—that's a fact.
- To give the name or designation of rogue to; to decry. he Atheists may endeavour to rogue and ridicule all incorporeal Substance
- To wander; to play the vagabond; to play knavish tricks. if hee be but once so taken idlely roguing
Rogue²
Where it comes from
English surname, originally a nickname derived from the adjective. See rogue.
proper noun Rogues
- A surname.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: rapscallion, rascal, scallywag, scalawag, varlet, knave, scoundrel, naughty, lowlife, badass, bully, hooliganism, hooligan, frivolous, malice, mug
Translations
Every language
noun a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person
| Español | canalla, granuja, bribón, truhan, pícaro, bellaco |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 無賴 /无赖 wúlài, 流氓 wúlài |
| हिन्दी | दुष्ट duṣṭ |
| Kiswahili | ayari, laghai, mlaghai |
| Português | velhaco, tratante |
| Français | canaille, fripouille, coquin, voyou |
| Deutsch | Schurke |
| Italiano | briccone, canaglia, buono a nulla |
| Ελληνικά | κάθαρμα kátharma, παλιόμουτρο paliómoutro, απατεώνας apateónas |
| Русский | негодя́й negodjáj, подле́ц podléc |
noun a mischievous scamp
| Kiswahili | mhuni |
|---|---|
| Português | patife |
| Français | garnement |
| Deutsch | Schlingel, Schelm, Strolch |
| Ελληνικά | κατεργάρης katergáris |
| Русский | прока́зник prokáznik, шалу́н šalún, пройдо́ха projdóxa, плут plut, бе́стия béstija |
noun a vagrant
| Español | vago |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | mhuni |
| Français | vagabond, clochard |
| Deutsch | Vagabund, Landstreicher |
| Ελληνικά | αλήτης alítis |
| Русский | бродя́га brodjága |
noun malware that presents itself as antispyware
| Kiswahili | ya shari |
|---|---|
| Português | invasor, pirata, sistema não autorizado, sistema não controlado |
| Русский | лжеантиви́рус lžeantivírus |
noun an aggressive animal separate from the herd, especially an elephant
| Kiswahili | mshari |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Einzelgänger |
adj (animal) vicious and solitary
| Kiswahili | mshari |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | einzelgängerisch, aggressiv |
adj large, destructive and unpredictable
| Kiswahili | ya balaa, yenye balaa |
|---|---|
| Français | incontrôlable |
| Deutsch | anormal, entartet, eigenbrötlerisch |
adj deceitful, unprincipled
| Español | chanta, chantapufi, bribón, pícaro, bellaco, gamberro |
|---|---|
| Kiswahili | ya kilaghai |
| Português | inescrupuloso |
| Français | sans scrupules |
| Deutsch | unseriös, betrügerisch, skrupellos |
verb Translations
| Español | tunear, tunar |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | (Samen) auslesen, (kranke Pflänzchen) aussortieren, schummeln |
Talk about this word "rogue." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rogue. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rogue. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rogue "rogue." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rogue.Cite this
@misc{rogue_2026,
title = {rogue},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rogue},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
