rogue

rogue — adjective

1. describing a person, thing, or situation that acts outside expected rules or lim

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing a person, thing, or situation that acts outside expected rules or limits and often creates trouble or danger.

Example

A rogue wave slammed into the cruise ship, sending passengers running for cover.

collocation: rogue wave

Diplomats called the country a rogue state that ignores international treaties.

collocation: rogue state

Common collocations
  • rogue state
  • rogue wave
  • rogue agent
  • rogue employee
  • rogue trader
Synonyms
  • erratic

    describes unpredictable movement or behavior broadly, without the harmful implication

  • renegade

    implies betrayal of a group or ideology, stronger than rogue

  • aberrant

    more formal and academic, often used in scientific or psychological contexts

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

rogue + noun

Usage Note

This sense is always used before a noun — you cannot say 'the wave was rogue.' Common pairings include rogue state, rogue wave, rogue agent, and rogue employee.

Common Mistakes

The weather was rogue today.
The weather was unpredictable today.
'rogue' is not used as a general adjective after linking verbs; it must modify a noun directly.

2. (of a wild animal) living alone, separated from its herd or group, and behaving

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

(of a wild animal) living alone, separated from its herd or group, and behaving in a dangerous or aggressive way.

Example

A rogue elephant trampled several villages before park rangers could stop it.

collocation: rogue elephant

Wildlife officials tracked a rogue bear that had been attacking livestock.

Common collocations
  • rogue elephant
  • rogue bear
  • rogue lion
  • rogue buffalo
Synonyms
  • solitary

    describes a preference for being alone, without the dangerous connotation

  • feral

    describes a domesticated animal that has returned to a wild state, which is different from being separated from a wild group

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

rogue + animal

Usage Note

Used only for wild animals, not domestic pets. The animal is typically large and capable of causing harm, and the separation from its group is a key part of the meaning.

Common Mistakes

Our dog became a rogue and ran away.
Our dog ran away from home.
'rogue' for animals is used only for dangerous wild animals separated from their herd or group, not for domestic pets.

3. starting to behave in an unexpected, abnormal, or uncontrolled way, especially b

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

starting to behave in an unexpected, abnormal, or uncontrolled way, especially by separating from a group and doing dangerous things.

Example

A group of soldiers went rogue and disobeyed their commanding officer's orders.

phrase: go rogue

The spy agency worried that one of its agents had gone rogue in the field.

phrase: gone rogue

Common collocations
  • go rogue
  • gone rogue
Synonyms
  • renegade

    emphasizes betrayal of allegiance, stronger and more political than rogue

  • rebellious

    implies open resistance to authority, not necessarily dangerous

  • wayward

    suggests stubborn or willful deviation, softer than rogue

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

go rogue

gone rogue

Usage Note

Most commonly appears in the fixed phrases 'go rogue' and 'gone rogue,' which describe a change or transition. Unlike sense 1, this sense emphasizes the process of becoming uncontrolled rather than a permanent state.

Common Mistakes

He is a rogue agent' (when describing an agent who has just started acting independently).
He went rogue
use the 'go rogue / gone rogue' phrase to describe the transition from normal to uncontrolled behavior.

rogue — noun

rogue — verb

rogue — noun

Word family

  • roguish
    adjectiveC1
  • roguishly
    adverbC1
  • roguery
    nounC2
  • roguishness
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Rogue,' 'erratic,' 'renegade,' 'aberrant,' and 'wayward' all describe something that deviates from normal standards, but they differ in scope and connotation. 'Rogue' (adj/1) emphasises unexpected, uncontrolled behavior that actively causes harm — a rogue wave is dangerous, not just unusual. 'Erratic' describes unpredictable movement or behavior without the harmful implication; a driver can be erratic without being a rogue. 'Renegade' implies a conscious break of allegiance or betrayal — a renegade soldier has switched sides, while a rogue soldier simply disobeys. 'Aberrant' is a formal, neutral term used in science and psychology for statistical deviation from a norm. 'Wayward' suggests stubborn or willful straying, often with a softer, almost pitying tone. For example, a rogue satellite damages other satellites; an erratic satellite has an unpredictable orbit; a wayward satellite has drifted off course through neglect.

erraticrenegade ↗aberrantwayward

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • go rogue
  • gone rogue
  • loveable rogue
  • charming rogue

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The earliest recorded use of 'rogue' in English is from the mid-16th century, where it meant 'a wandering beggar' or 'vagrant.' Its origin is uncertain, but it may come from Latin 'rogare' (to ask), through the notion of a beggar asking for alms. By the late 1500s the word had widened to mean 'a dishonest or unprincipled person' (now noun sense 2). In the 1800s it developed the adjective sense of wild animals that stray from their herd, and by the mid-1900s it broadened to describe any person or thing that behaves unexpectedly or dangerously. The agricultural verb sense emerged in the early 1900s from the practice of physically 'roguing' — removing — undesirable plants. As a proper name, the Rogue River in Oregon was named by French-Canadian trappers who called it 'Rivière aux Coquins' (River of Rogues), likely referring to Native American people they considered hostile.