Meanings
- idiomaticA 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.
Synonyms: eccentric, free spirit, heteroclite, deviant, deviate, individualist, maverick, misfit
- idiomaticA 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.
1871–1872, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter LXXI, in Middlemarch […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book VII2 more examples
Kissinger, after all, is a figure of renown among the self-appointed leaders of "the people from whom he stems" and a frequent speaker at Jewish charity galas, whereas Ajami is a man almost entirely deserted by his people, a pariah at what should be his hour of triumph. In Arnoun, a family friend told me, "Fouad is a black sheep because of his staunch support for the Israelis."
2003 April 10, Adam Shatz, “The Native Informant”, in The Nation(US), archived from the original on 27 Jun 2014To get into the SAR, we all do a great deal of research into our families. It can help you connect with your family and learn about your ancestors. If you have a black sheep (we all do), you can learn from them and not do whatever it was that they did. The SAR gives you experiences you wouldn't have had otherwise.
2021-2022 Winter, Albert Keiser, “Foundation Request”, in SAR Magazine, volume 116, number 3, Louisville, KY: Sons of the American Revolution, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 12, column 1Synonyms: bad apple · Antonyms: golden child
- idiomaticA 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 […]
1985, Bryn Perrins, Trade Union Law, page 232
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person, who may be rejected or disdained by others for this reason.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 不墨守成规者, 害群之馬 /害群之马
- 不墨守成规者nonconformist
- 害群之馬 /害群之马 (hàiqúnzhīmǎ)person who is not wholesome
- 敗類 /败类 (bàilèi)person who is not wholesome
Danish sort får
- sort fårperson who is not wholesome
Dutch zwart schaap, zwart schaap
- zwart schaapnonconformist
- zwart schaapperson who is not wholesome
Esperanto idaĉo
- idaĉoperson who is not wholesome
Finnish musta lammas, musta lammas
- musta lammasnonconformist
- musta lammasperson who is not wholesome
French original, excentrique
- originalnonconformist
- excentriquenonconformist
- mouton noirperson who is not wholesome
- brebis galeuseperson who is not wholesome
- vilain petit canardperson who is not wholesome
German schwarzes Schaf, schwarzes Schaf
- schwarzes Schafnonconformist
- schwarzes Schafperson who is not wholesome
Greek μαύρο πρόβατο, μαύρο πρόβατο
- μαύρο πρόβατο (mávro próvato)nonconformist
- μαύρο πρόβατο (mávro próvato)person who is not wholesome
Hebrew כִּבְשָׂה שְׁחֹרָה
- כִּבְשָׂה שְׁחֹרָה (kivsá shkhorá)nonconformist
Hungarian fekete bárány
- fekete báránynonconformist
Icelandic svartur sauður
- svartur sauðurperson who is not wholesome
Italian pecora nera
- pecora neraperson who is not wholesome
Japanese 厄介者
- 厄介者 (yakkaimono)person who is not wholesome
Latvian melnā avs, baltais zvirbulis
- melnā avsnonconformist
- baltais zvirbulisnonconformist
Malay kambing hitam
- kambing hitamperson who is not wholesome
Polish czarna owca, czarna owca
- czarna owcanonconformist
- czarna owcaperson who is not wholesome
Portuguese ovelha negra, ovelha negra
- ovelha negranonconformist
- ovelha negraperson who is not wholesome
Russian парши́вая овца́
- парши́вая овца́ (paršívaja ovcá)person who is not wholesome
Scottish Gaelic caora dhubh
- caora dhubhnonconformist
Spanish oveja negra
- oveja negraperson who is not wholesome
Swedish svart får, svart får
- svart fårnonconformist
- svart fårperson who is not wholesome
Turkish kara koyun
- kara koyunnonconformist
Ukrainian біла ворона
- біла ворона (bila vorona)nonconformist
Cite this entry
black sheep. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20sheep
“black sheep.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20sheep. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “black sheep,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/black%20sheep.
Source: black sheep on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.