Meanings
plural rogue states
- governmentA state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies.
1 more example
In the early 2160s, the Alliance began aggressive colonization of worlds in the Skyllian Verge, much to the dismay of the batarians who had been developing the region for several decades. In 2171, the batarians petitioned the Council to declare the Verge a "zone of batarian interest". The Council refused, however, declaring unsettled worlds in the region open to human colonization. In protest, the batarians closed their Citadel embassy and severed official diplomatic relations with the Council, effectively becoming a rogue state. They instigated a proxy war in the Verge by funneling money and weapons to criminal organizations, urging them to strike at human colonies.
2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Batarians Codex entrySynonyms: outlaw state, rogue regime
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies.
More synonyms by meaning
nouna state that does not respect other states in its international actions
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Arabic دَوْلَة مَارِقَة
- دَوْلَة مَارِقَةstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Chinese Mandarin 流氓國家 /流氓国家
- 流氓國家 /流氓国家 (liúmáng guójiā)state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Danish slyngelstat
- slyngelstatstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Dutch schurkenstaat
- schurkenstaatstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Finnish roistovaltio
- roistovaltiostate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
French État voyou
- État voyoustate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
German Schurkenstaat
- Schurkenstaatstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Hungarian lator állam, latorállam
- lator államstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- latorállamstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Icelandic skúrkaríki
- skúrkaríkistate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Indonesian negara nakal
- negara nakalstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Irish stát bradach
- stát bradachstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Italian Stato canaglia, Paese canaglia
- Stato canagliastate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- Paese canagliastate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Japanese ならずもの国家, ならず者国家
- ならずもの国家 (narazumono kokka)state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- ならず者国家 (narazumono kokka)state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Korean 불량 국가
- 불량 국가 (bullyang gukga)state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Polish państwo zbójeckie
- państwo zbójeckiestate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Portuguese estado vilão
- estado vilãostate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Russian госуда́рство-изго́й, страна́-изго́й
- госуда́рство-изго́й (gosudárstvo-izgój)state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- страна́-изго́й (straná-izgój)state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Spanish estado canalla, estado gamberro
- estado canallastate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- estado gamberrostate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- estado villanostate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- estado delincuentestate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- estado rebeldestate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- estado pariastate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- estado forajidostate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
- estado renegadostate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Swedish skurkstat
- skurkstatstate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Turkish haydut devleti
- haydut devletistate or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Ukrainian держава-ізгой
- держава-ізгой (deržava-izhoj)state or nation acting outside of the accepted international norms and policies
Cite this entry
rogue state. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rogue%20state
“rogue state.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rogue%20state. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rogue state,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rogue%20state.
Source: rogue state on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.