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”).
Meanings
(of an animal, qualifier:especially an elephant) Vicious and solitary.
Mosquito. One lone rogue mosquito. 1995, Paul Vautin, Turn It Up!, Sydney: Pan Macmillan Australia, page 140:
(broadly) Large, destructive and unpredictable.
(broadly) 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. 2004, Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage:
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 and its foes’ glee. 2013 June 29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55:
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Translations (23)
fr sans scrupules (deceitful, unprincipled) · es gamberro (deceitful, unprincipled) · cs nevyzpytatelný (large, destructive and unpredictable) · pt inescrupuloso (deceitful, unprincipled) · de anormal (large, destructive and unpredictable) · es chanta (deceitful, unprincipled) · de eigenbrötlerisch (large, destructive and unpredictable) · de unseriös (deceitful, unprincipled) · de aggressiv ((animal) vicious and solitary) · sw yenye balaa (large, destructive and unpredictable) · es chantapufi (deceitful, unprincipled) · de skrupellos (deceitful, unprincipled) · sw ya balaa (large, destructive and unpredictable) · es bribón (deceitful, unprincipled) · es pícaro (deceitful, unprincipled) · sw mshari ((animal) vicious and solitary) · de entartet (large, destructive and unpredictable) · de betrügerisch (deceitful, unprincipled) · de einzelgängerisch ((animal) vicious and solitary) · uk брехли́вий (deceitful, unprincipled) · sw ya kilaghai (deceitful, unprincipled) · es bellaco (deceitful, unprincipled) · fr incontrôlable (large, destructive and unpredictable)
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”).
Meanings
A scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person.
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 The A.V. Club:
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, The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC:
And meet time it was, when yon usher, vinegar-faced rogue that he is, began to inquire what popish trangam you were wearing […] 1820, [Walter Scott], The Abbot. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, […], →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:
A mischievous scamp.
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]:
A vagrant.
Malware that deceitfully presents itself as antispyware.
Next, click the "Installed on" heading in the Windows 7 uninstaller to sort the list by date, and see if any programs have the same date and time stamps as your rogues. 2013 October 31, “Windows PUPs: how do I remove potentially unwanted programs?”, in The Guardian:
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'. 2009 October 29, Larry Seltzer, “Scareware Tops Microsoft's Malware List”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name):
Now though researchers at Microsoft's Malware Protection Center are reporting a downward trend in the traffic generated by some of the most popular rogues over the past 12 months. 2014 August 20, Ian Barker, “Microsoft detects fall in fake antivirus traffic”, in BetaNews:
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. 1975, Peter Benchley, Carl Gottlieb, Jaws, spoken by Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss):
(Australia) 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. 1937, Ion L. Idriess, Over the Range, Sydney: Angus and Robertson, published 1947, page 7:
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. 2000, Carol Deppe, Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, Totnes: Chelsea Green Pub:
(qualifier:roleplaying games) 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. 2025 February 14, Lauren Morton, “Review: Dragon Age: The Veilguard”, in PC Gamer (US), number 392, page 54; published online 28 October 2024:
da skarn (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · cmn 無賴 /无赖 (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · lo ເລງ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gd slaightear (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl beleigán (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl rillote (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · fi konna (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es tuno (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu zsivány (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · la furcifera (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · pt sistema não controlado (malware that presents itself as antispyware) · cs lump (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es chantapufi (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl andosco (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu csirkefogó (a mischievous scamp) · ru шалу́н (a mischievous scamp) · km ធុត្តជន (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es gamberro (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · sv skälm (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ml വഞ്ചകൻ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ca ribald (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · pt sistema não autorizado (malware that presents itself as antispyware) · it canaglia (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl lampantín (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · cs darebák (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da stodder (a vagrant) · mk па́лавник (a mischievous scamp) · la furcifer (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da slambert (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ru подле́ц (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · nl kwajongen (a mischievous scamp) · bg палавник (a mischievous scamp) · az haramzadə (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · pt invasor (malware that presents itself as antispyware) · nrf filou (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu selyma (a mischievous scamp) · haw ʻeu (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu csavargó (a vagrant) · haw ʻeu (a mischievous scamp) · mi tōiwi (a vagrant) · az kələkbaz (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ca rodamon (a vagrant) · la planus (a vagrant) · nrf scélérat (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · kn ಪೋಕರಿ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · de Strolch (a mischievous scamp) · es canalla (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · bg скитник (a vagrant) · az yaramaz (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · yue 遊蕩者 /游荡者 (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ga rógaire (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · dng хулюҗин (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gd balgair (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · uk пройди́світ (a vagrant) · cs rošťák (a mischievous scamp) · hu lator (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · grc πανοῦργος (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl brigante (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da landstryger (a vagrant) · ml കുറുക്കൻ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · cs samotář (an aggressive animal separate from the herd, especially an elephant) · yue 盜賊 /盗贼 (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es pícaro (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu svindler (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da slubbert (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · sw ya shari (malware that presents itself as antispyware) · ru прока́зник (a mischievous scamp) · de Vagabund (a vagrant) · hu kópé (a mischievous scamp) · gl falcatrueiro (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es chanta (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es vago (a vagrant) · mk ски́тник (a vagrant) · fr coquin (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu magányos/elkülönült állat/elefánt (an aggressive animal separate from the herd, especially an elephant) · el απατεώνας (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · la defector (an aggressive animal separate from the herd, especially an elephant) · hu huncut (a mischievous scamp) · sw mlaghai (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu gazember (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · zu umhuqa (an aggressive animal separate from the herd, especially an elephant) · pt tratante (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · te దుర్మార్గుడు (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ml ചതിയൻ (a mischievous scamp) · gl moinante (a vagrant) · fr voyou (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · mk не́мирник (a mischievous scamp) · la mastīgia (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gd trustar (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · cs lotr (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · az fırıldaqçı (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · fi kelmi (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · bg мошеник (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es tunante (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · lo ຊະເລ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · zu isichwensi (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · sw mhuni (a vagrant) · nrf ch'napan (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da slyngel (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es truhán (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · nrf cotchîn (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ml കുറുക്കൻ (a mischievous scamp) · fr fripouille (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl lampanas (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · la errō (a vagrant) · nl schelm (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · pt velhaco (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · sw mhuni (a mischievous scamp) · fr canaille (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · sw ayari (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · az bic (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · pdt Schuft (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · lo ຄົນອັນທະພານ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · fr garnement (a mischievous scamp) · ota لوند (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ca brètol (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu rosszcsont (a mischievous scamp) · gd cealgair (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · uk розбі́йниця (a mischievous scamp) · fi roisto (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ru бе́стия (a mischievous scamp) · hu gézengúz (a mischievous scamp) · es bellaco (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ca vagabund (a vagrant) · sw mshari (an aggressive animal separate from the herd, especially an elephant) · pdt Bädel (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · eo bubaĉo (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl menxengo (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · la verberō (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da vagabond (a vagrant) · uk розбі́йник (a mischievous scamp) · hu selma (a mischievous scamp) · sv skurk (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ga bithiúnach (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da skurk (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · el κατεργάρης (a mischievous scamp) · hu elfajzó/elfajzott növény (a plant that shows some undesirable variation) · ml വഞ്ചകൻ (a mischievous scamp) · gl taleigán (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · kn ಹೋಕ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ru лжеантиви́рус (malware that presents itself as antispyware) · la profugus (a vagrant) · uk волоцю́га (a vagrant) · fr vagabond (a vagrant) · gl laña (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es verraco (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da sjover (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl bagullo (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · zu ihilikiqi (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ru плут (a mischievous scamp) · de Schelm (a mischievous scamp) · es granuja (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · my ငတေ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · uk негі́дниця (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl guímaro (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es bribón (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · kn ಪೋಕ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · af skelm (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · fr clochard (a vagrant) · hu betyár (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · pt patife (a mischievous scamp) · es delincuente (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ru негодя́й (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · zu ishinga (a mischievous scamp) · cmn 流氓 (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · grc κόβαλος (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · enm losengeour (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · it briccone (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · fi kulkuri (a vagrant) · ml ചതിയൻ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · fi veijari (a mischievous scamp) · ca malvat (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · de Einzelgänger (an aggressive animal separate from the herd, especially an elephant) · mk по́длец (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es rebelde (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hu csirkefogó (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · gl franduleiro (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · el κάθαρμα (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · de Schurke (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · pt pirata (malware that presents itself as antispyware) · el παλιόμουτρο (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · ru бродя́га (a vagrant) · hu szélhámos (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · es truhan (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · nl zwerver (a vagrant) · gl boirao (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · de Schlingel (a mischievous scamp) · hu gazfickó (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · sw laghai (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · lo ອັນທະພານ (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · it buono a nulla (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · id bajingan (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · uk негі́дник (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · hi दुष्ट (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · mk и́змамник (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person) · da landevejsridder (a vagrant) · de Landstreicher (a vagrant) · ru пройдо́ха (a mischievous scamp) · gl moina (a vagrant) · el αλήτης (a vagrant) · sa धूर्त (a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person)
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”).
Meanings
To cull; to destroy plants not meeting a required standard, especially when saving seed, rogue or unwanted plants are removed before pollination.
Our skill as roguers was being tested. After we had rogued a field the field was inspected and the potatoes classified Stock Seed, A, B or H. In those days, between Stock seed and Class A, there was £2 per ton of potatoes difference. 2015, David W. Torrance, The Reluctant Minister:
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. 2000, Carol Deppe, Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, Totnes: Chelsea Green Pub:
(dated, transitive) To cheat.
And then to think that Mark should have rogued me of five shiners! He was clever—that's a fact. 1883, Prairie Farmer, volume 55, page 29:
(obsolete) To give the name or designation of rogue to; to decry.
he Atheists may endeavour to rogue and ridicule all incorporeal Substance 1678, R[alph] Cudworth, The True Intellectual System of the Universe: The First Part; wherein All the Reason and Philosophy of Atheism is Confuted; and Its Impossibility Demonstrated, London: […] Richard Royston, […], →OCLC:
(intransitive, obsolete) To wander; to play the vagabond; to play knavish tricks.
if hee be but once so taken idlely roguing 1596 (date written; published 1633), Edmund Spenser, A Vewe of the Present State of Irelande […], Dublin: […] Societie of Stationers, […], →OCLC; republished as A View of the State of Ireland […] (Ancient Irish Histories), Dublin: […] Society of Stationers, […] Hibernia Press, […] [b]y John Morrison, 1809, →OCLC:
de (Samen) auslesen (Translations) · es tunar (Translations) · de schummeln (Translations) · de (kranke Pflänzchen) aussortieren (Translations) · es tunear (Translations)