black sheep

American  

noun

1. a sheep with black fleece.

2. a person who causes shame or embarrassment because of deviation from an accepted standard of behavior.

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black sheep British  

noun

1. a person who is regarded as a disgrace or failure by his family or peer group

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black sheep Cultural  

1. A person who is considered a disgrace to a particular group, usually a family: “Uncle Jack, who was imprisoned for forgery, is the black sheep of the family.”

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black sheep Idioms  

1. The least reputable member of a group; a disgrace. For example, Uncle Fritz was the black sheep of the family; we always thought he emigrated to Argentina to avoid jail. This metaphor is based on the idea that black sheep were less valuable than white ones because it was more difficult to dye their wool different colors. Also, in the 16th century, their color was considered the devil's mark. By the 18th century the term was widely used as it is today, for the odd member of a group.

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Etymology

Origin of black sheep

First recorded in 1785–95

Example Sentences

"Both poets' words seemed as if they were written for the tribe of black sheep, outsiders trying to exist in the times they were dealt," she says.

From BBC • Nov. 4, 2025

Lowell, spurned in his romantic life and treated as a black sheep by his dynastic family, found in Mars a calling, a raison d’être.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 22, 2025

When FTX went down, the organized crypto industry went to great lengths to paint Bankman-Fried as a black sheep.

From Slate • Mar. 10, 2025

Leo’s children embody familiar types: the successful, uptight doctor; the lost, black sheep writer whose marriage is falling apart; the lesbian wild child who loves to provoke.

From New York Times • May 3, 2024

“Yeah, but I need to find out stuff, like, I don’t know...stuff like if there are actually black sheep in real life.”

From "As Brave As You" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• pariah