English Idiom β The black sheep of the family.
A person who is different from the rest of their family or group, and who the others see as a disappointment or a troublemaker.
Maya’s parents and both her brothers are lawyers. Maya left law school to become an artist, and now everyone sighs at family dinners. She laughs and calls herself the black sheep of the family!
Most sheep are white, but now and then a black lamb is born into a white flock, and it stands out straight away. For farmers, that wasn’t good news: black wool couldn’t be dyed, so it was worth less. In 18th- and 19th-century England, some people even saw a black sheep’s colour as a mark of the devil. So the black sheep came to mean a person who stands out from their group in a bad way. The figurative meaning was in use in English by 1792. (Not every shepherd agreed, though: some thought a black sheep in the flock was lucky!)
How to Use It
- The most common form is the black sheep of the family: “My uncle was always the black sheep of the family.”
- It works for other groups too: “He’s the black sheep of the team.”
- People often use it about themselves, with a smile: “I’m the black sheep: I’m the only one who hates football!”
Note: today the idiom is often playful, and it can simply mean “the one who’s different”. But if you use it about someone else, it can still sound critical, so be careful!
More animal idioms: A Fish Out of Water, Cry Wolf and Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch.
Example:
- “Everyone in my family is a lawyer, so as an artist, I’m the black sheep!”
- “My cousin was the black sheep of the family until his business made him a millionaire.”
- “In a house full of early risers, I’m definitely the black sheep. I never get up before ten!”
Learn More
Look it upBlack sheepWikipediaWhat is an idiom?
An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its individual words, but has a separate meaning of its own.
Love animal idioms? See our full list of 50 animal idioms in English, with meanings and examples.
Frequently Asked Questions
It means the person who is different from the rest of their family, and who the others see as a disappointment or a troublemaker. Today people often use it playfully about themselves.
It comes from farming. A black lamb stood out in a white flock, and its wool couldn’t be dyed, so it was worth less. The figurative meaning, a person who stands out in a bad way, was in use in English by 1792.
Yes. “The odd one out” is similar, but it is neutral: it just means someone or something that is different from the rest of a group.
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