Meaning & use
black sheep
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Meanings
nouncountableinformaldisapproving
A person in a family or group whose behavior or character is seen as embarrassing or very different from the rest.
Grammar: Countable, usually with the: the black sheep of the family.
Patterns
- the black sheep of something
He became the black sheep of the family after dropping out of law school.
Everyone treated her as the team's black sheep.
As the family's black sheep, he was rarely invited to dinners.
nouncountable
A sheep with dark wool, standing out from the white ones in a flock.
Grammar: Literal use, plural black sheep.
Patterns
- a black sheep in a flock
A single black sheep stood out in the white flock.
The shepherd noticed the black sheep near the fence.
A black sheep was born in the spring.
Word forms
| plural | black sheep |
|---|
Common combinations
- the black sheep of the family
- My uncle was always the black sheep of the family.
- treated as a black sheep
- She was treated as a black sheep for leaving the family business.
- the black sheep of the class
- The boy was the black sheep of the class.
- a bit of a black sheep
- He is a bit of a black sheep among the accountants.
- black sheep sibling
- Her black sheep sibling lived abroad.
Synonyms and how they differ
- outcast
- Outcast means someone driven out by a group, whereas a black sheep may still belong to the family.
- misfit
- Misfit stresses not fitting in, but black sheep also implies disapproval.
- rebel
- Rebel suggests active defiance, while black sheep can describe someone merely different.
- odd one out
- Odd one out is neutral and playful, whereas black sheep carries a sense of disgrace.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: black sheep or scapegoat?
black sheep vs scapegoat
A scapegoat is blamed for others' faults, but a black sheep is simply seen as different or disappointing.
Practice
His family called him the black sheep because he:
Choose one answer.
A black sheep is someone who stands out as different from the rest, often disapprovingly. Agreeing with everyone would make him the opposite.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “black sheep”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.