noun
1. a reckless and unprincipled reprobate
• Syn: ↑scapegrace
2. sheep with a black coat
• Hypernyms: ↑sheep
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noun1. : a recessive black-fleeced individual in a flock of normally white-fleeced sheep — compare melanism 1a
2. : a member of a group that stands in conspicuous and unfavorable contrast to the other members especially by reason of socially undesirable characteristics or behavior
he's the black sheep of his family
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1. a sheep with black fleece.
2. a person who causes shame or embarrassment because of deviation from the accepted standards of his or her group.
[1785-95]
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black sheep noun
A disreputable member of a family or group
• • •
Main Entry: ↑black
————————
black sheep
The disreputable member of a family or group
• • •
Main Entry: ↑sheep
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someone who is not approved of by the other members of their family or the group they belong to because they are thought to behave badly
Thesaurus: general words for family membershyponym
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black sheep,
a worthless member of a respectable family; scoundrel.
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n. informal a member of a family or group who is regarded as a disgrace to them
the black sheep of the family
Origin:
late 18th cent.: from the proverb there is a black sheep in every flock
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noun, pl ⋯ sheep [count]
: someone who does not fit in with the rest of a group and is often considered to be a troublemaker or an embarrassment
She was the black sheep of the family.
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a person who is different from the rest of their family or another group, and who is considered bad or embarrassing
•
the black sheep of the family
Word Origin:
[black sheep] late 18th cent.: from the proverb there is a black sheep in every flock.
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black sheepsee sheep.
Useful english dictionary. 2012.