Synonyms for rogues
- con artist
- crook
- rascal
- swindler
- villain
- blackguard
- charlatan
- cheat
- cheater
- criminal
- defrauder
- devil
- fraud
- heel
- hooligan
- lowlife
- mischief
- miscreant
- monstrosity
- ne'er-do-well
- outlaw
- problem
- rapscallion
- reprobate
- scalawag
- scamp
- scoundrel
- trickster
- bad egg
- bad news
- black sheep
EXAMPLES FROM THE WEB FOR ROGUES
And now, fair sir, I must hasten back to see how my rogues have fared with the brawn.
Her picture, of course, is already in the Rogues' Gallery, but they will take another.
See to the broadcloth and velvet that the rogues bear upon their backs!
They are not all rogues on Wall Street, in spite of what the papers say.
I thought you were a set of rogues, and now I can prove it.'
I warrant they have arranged it all snugly over their beer—snugly, snugly, the rogues!'
Suffice it that I have helped to lessen Kirk's horse by four of his rogues.
These rogues can stir their limbs when they find that there is a man to command them.'
D--n the rogues; I thought at one time they had me in a category!
The worst was that they got on very well together, the rogues.
WORD ORIGIN
1560s, "idle vagrant," perhaps a shortened form of roger (with a hard -g-), thieves' slang for a begging vagabond who pretends to be a poor scholar from Oxford or Cambridge, which is perhaps an agent noun in English from Latin rogare "to ask." Another theory [Klein] traces it to Celtic (cf. Breton rog "haughty"); OED says, "There is no evidence of connexion with F. rogue 'arrogant.' "
In playful or affectionate use, "one who is mischievous," 1590s. Meaning "large wild beast living apart from the herd" is from 1859, originally of elephants. Meaning "something uncontrolled or undisciplined" is from 1964. Also common in 17c. as a verb. Rogue's gallery "police collection of mug shots" is attested from 1859.