juvenile delinquent
Americannoun
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a minor who cannot be controlled by parental authority and commits antisocial or criminal acts, as vandalism or violence.
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a child or youth characterized by juvenile delinquency.
noun
Etymology
Origin of juvenile delinquent
First recorded in 1810–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She previously worked as a case worker in a juvenile delinquent transitional home and her boyfriend coaches a basketball team.
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2024
In my first film, I played a juvenile delinquent — Barbara Hanley.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2022
He was headed for jail as a juvenile delinquent when a sympathetic judge offered him an alternative: Join the military.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2022
Born Manuel Rodriguez in Buffalo, he was a self-described juvenile delinquent before dropping out of art school.
From New York Times • Nov. 10, 2021
Byron had just turned thirteen so he was officially a teenage juvenile delinquent and didn’t think it was “cool” to touch anybody or let anyone touch him, even if it meant he froze to death.
From "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by Christopher Paul Curtis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
