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.
“I could go sit in a corner, and you can be a juvenile delinquent reading juvenile delinquent books.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
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
"I've gotten close to Bobby and his sister. I've seen him turn from basically a juvenile delinquent into a very thoughtful, caring adult. He grew up."
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2023
More recently, he took a dark turn on the Netflix series "Locke & Key," and went from worshipful kid to juvenile delinquent in "Big Time Adolescence," which dropped on Hulu this month.
From Salon ● Mar. 23, 2020
I can’t get past the feeling that this is just some juvenile delinquent trying to freak everybody out.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
