delinquent

1 of 2

noun

de·​lin·​quent di-ˈliŋ-kwənt How to pronounce delinquent (audio)
-ˈlin-
: a usually young person who regularly performs illegal or immoral acts

delinquent

2 of 2

adjective

1
: offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law
… were clearly delinquent in not immediately alerting Western Europe to the accident …Richard Wilson
2
: being overdue in payment
a delinquent charge account
… efforts to crack down on parents delinquent in child-support payments …Todd S. Purdum
3
: of, relating to, or characteristic of people who regularly perform illegal or immoral acts : marked by delinquency (see delinquency sense 1b)
delinquent behavior
delinquently adverb

Examples of delinquent in a Sentence

Noun a group of violent delinquents Adjective a school for delinquent children His delinquent behavior could lead to more serious problems. The town is trying to collect delinquent taxes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In juvenile cases, after a conviction, a delinquent can be placed in a relatively wide range of facilities and services: group homes, placement with relatives, in- or out-of-state residential treatment centers or treatment foster homes, according to Paul Rifelj. Elliot Hughes, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 Desperate to find the truth behind a family secret, young Aboriginal delinquent Robyn finally escapes from detention and ends up teaming up with awkward teenager Gidge. John Hopewell, Variety, 26 Feb. 2024 The 14-year-old is charged with first-degree murder, child abuse and being a delinquent in possession of a firearm, officials said. Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2023 The series stars popular pop star turned actor Takumi Kitamura as the manga’s iconic cool-kid protagonist, Yusuke, a high school delinquent turned undercover investigator of the supernatural. Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2023 And then take a second to ask yourself: Who are the actual delinquents in this lazy, hazy, philosophical parable? David Fear, Rolling Stone, 21 Oct. 2023 Steane, 22, shows up in two scenes as Pascal’s delinquent, on-the-lam son, who may or may not have murdered someone important to Hawke’s character, who has grown up to be a sad, repressed sheriff. Vulture, 4 Oct. 2023 As a hardscrabble collection of high-school dropouts and juvenile delinquents, the Replacements’ four members came by their umbrage and fatalism organically. Elizabeth Nelson, The New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2023 Both teens will be facing charges of delinquent to wit, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and delinquent to wit, joint venture. Kate Armanini, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Jan. 2023
Adjective
Jackson County filed the liens on his property in May 2022 for delinquent land taxes of more than $23,600, with interest to accrue at the first of each month. Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024 He was adjudicated delinquent and placed on probation until his 19th birthday, during which time he was prohibited from possessing any firearms. Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 1 Feb. 2024 The result was a new, state-of-the-art juvenile detention facility and a system of helping delinquent kids in their homes and communities. Jack Kresnak, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2024 But while credit scores are built to predict the odds of a person becoming delinquent on loans, insurance scores are focused more on predicting losses or claims and thus typically aren't used in isolation. The Arizona Republic, 11 Feb. 2024 Children ages 10 and 11 who are adjudicated delinquent are held in private facilities. Laura A. Bischoff, The Enquirer, 9 Feb. 2024 Last year dozens of properties owned by Justice in three counties were put up for auction as payment for delinquent real estate taxes. John Raby, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024 The loan became delinquent in October 2023, the county records show. George Avalos, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2024 The amount considered seriously delinquent (90 days or more) increased to 6.36 percent for the fourth quarter, up from 4.01 in the same period a year earlier. Michelle Singletary, Washington Post, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'delinquent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

earlier, "person failing in a duty, offender," borrowed from Middle French delinquant, noun derivative from present participle of delinquer "to commit an offense," borrowed from Latin dēlinquere "to be lacking, fall short of an approved standard, misbehave, commit (an offense)" — more at delinquent entry 2

Adjective

borrowed from Latin dēlinquent-, dēlinquens, present participle of dēlinquere "to be lacking, fall short of an approved standard, misbehave, commit (an offense)," from dē- de- + linquō, linquere (perfect līquī) "to go away from, leave, leave behind, abandon, desist from," going back to Indo-European *li-n-kw-/*li-né-kw- "leaves behind" (whence also Sanskrit riṇákti "[s/he] leaves behind," Avestan irinaxti, Old Irish léicid "[s/he] lets go, leaves behind"), ar-léici "[s/he] lets go, releases, lends," present tense derivative from the base *lei̯kw- "leave behind, distance oneself from," whence also, with varying ablaut, Greek leípō, leípein (aorist élipon) "to leave, quit, be missing," Armenian likʼ "(s/he) left, let go," Old Prussian polāikt "to remain," Lithuanian liekù, lìkti, Germanic *līhwan- "to grant, lend" (whence Old English lēon "to lend, grant," Old Saxon farlīhan, Old High German līhan, Old Norse ljá, Gothic leihwan "to lend")

Note: The specialization of sense in Germanic (from "leave behind" to "lend") is distinctive and has been variously explained. Attention has been drawn to the derivative *laihna- "something lent," perhaps from "something left as a legacy," with apparent counterparts in Indo-Iranian (see loan entry 1), and it has been argued that the noun's influence has restricted the meaning of the verb (see Antoine Meillet, "Sur le suffixe indo-européen *-nes-," Mémoires de la Société Linguistique de Paris, tome 15 [1908-09], pp. 254-56).

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1603, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of delinquent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near delinquent

Cite this Entry

“Delinquent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/delinquent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

delinquent

1 of 2 noun
de·​lin·​quent di-ˈliŋ-kwənt How to pronounce delinquent (audio)
: a delinquent person

delinquent

2 of 2 adjective
1
: offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law
2
: being overdue in payment
a delinquent charge account
delinquency
-kwən-sē
noun
delinquently adverb

Medical Definition

delinquent

1 of 2 noun
de·​lin·​quent -kwənt How to pronounce delinquent (audio)
: a transgressor against duty or the law especially in a degree not constituting crime
specifically : juvenile delinquent

delinquent

2 of 2 adjective
1
: offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law
2
: of, relating to, or characteristic of delinquents : marked by delinquency
delinquently adverb

Legal Definition

delinquent

1 of 2 noun
de·​lin·​quent di-ˈliŋ-kwənt How to pronounce delinquent (audio)
: a delinquent person
especially : juvenile delinquent

delinquent

2 of 2 adjective
1
a
: offending by neglect or violation of duty or law
delinquent acts
b
: characterized by juvenile delinquency
delinquent youth
2
: being overdue in payment
delinquent taxes
was delinquent in his child support payments
Etymology

Adjective

Latin delinquent-, delinquens, present participle of delinquere to commit (an offense), err

More from Merriam-Webster on delinquent

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