Rogue Meaning
/ˈɹəʊɡ/Definition, CEFR level C2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person.
nounA mischievous scamp.
Sentence Examples
In the late 20th century, Yugoslavia was considered a rogue state by the United States.
A rogue asteroid from the Kuiper Belt is on a collision course with the Earth.
Those rogue rebels do not deserve to roam the Earth.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ agent stole classified documents and sold them to a foreign government.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ trader had been making unauthorized deals for years before the fraud was finally discovered.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"And meet time it was, when yon usher, vinegar-faced rogue that he is, began to inquire what popish trangam you were wearing […]"
— 1834, Sir Walter Scott, The abbott: being a sequel to The monastery, Volume 19:
"He had told more lies in his time, and undergone more baseness of stratagem in order to stave off a small debt, or to swindle a poor creditor, than would have sufficed to make a fortune for a braver rogue."
— 1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 44, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
"“… No rogue e’er felt the halter draw, with a good opinion of the law, and perhaps my own detestation of the law arises from my having frequently broken it. […]”"
— 1913, Robert Barr, chapter 4, in Lord Stranleigh Abroad:
"As The Dark Knight Rises brings a close to Christopher Nolan’s staggeringly ambitious Batman trilogy, it’s worth remembering that director chose The Scarecrow as his first villain—not necessarily the most popular among the comic’s gallery of rogues, but the one who set the tone for entire series."
— 2012 July 18, Scott Tobias, “The Dark Knight Rises”, in AV Club:
"Ah, you sweet little rogue, you!"
— c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:
Explore More C2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The ____ agent stole classified documents and sold them to a foreign government.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ trader had been making unauthorized deals for years before the fraud was finally discovered.