black sheep

Noun

black sheep (plural black sheep)

1. (idiomatic) A nonconformist; an unusual or unconventional person, who may be rejected or disdained by others for this reason.
   • He was the black sheep in the family, as an artist among doctors and lawyers.

   Synonyms:

   eccentric, free spirit, heteroclite, deviant, deviate, individualist, maverick, misfit, nonconformist, offbeat

2. (idiomatic) A person who is not wholesome, honest, or trustworthy.
   • “It’s just what I should have expected,” said Mr. Hawley, mounting his horse. “Any cursed alien blood, Jew, Corsican, or Gypsy.”¶ “I know he’s one of your black sheep, Hawley. But he is really a disinterested, unworldly fellow,” said Mr. Farebrother, smiling.1871–1872, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], chapter LXXI, in Middlemarch […], volume (please specify |volume=I to IV), Edinburgh; London: William Blackwood and Sons, →OCLC, book VII
   • Kissinger, after all, is a figure of renown among the self-appointed leaders of "the people from whom he stems" and a frequent speaker at Jewish charity galas, whereas Ajami is a man almost entirely deserted by his people, a pariah at what should be his hour of triumph. In Arnoun, a family friend...2003 April 10, Adam Shatz, “The Native Informant”, in The Nation(US), archived from the original on 27 Jun 2014

   Synonyms:

   bad apple

   Antonyms:

   golden child

3. (idiomatic) A worker who refuses to strike; a scab.
   • It used to be the law that a black sheep could be brought into the fold of conformity: where there were 'recognised terms of employment – a standard created by a collective agreement or award covering a substantial proportion of the employers and workers in any trade or industry […]1985, Bryn Perrins, Trade Union Law, page 232
4. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see black, sheep.
   • Baa baa black sheep have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, Three bags full.