delinquent

[dih-ling-kwuhnt]

adjective

1. failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation; guilty of a misdeed or offense.

2. (of an account, tax, debt, etc.) past due; overdue.

3. of or relating to delinquents or delinquency.

   delinquent attitudes.

noun

1. a person who is delinquent.

2. juvenile delinquent.

delinquent

/ dɪˈlɪŋkwənt /

noun

1. someone, esp a young person, guilty of delinquency See juvenile delinquent

2. archaic,  a person who fails in an obligation or duty

adjective

1. guilty of an offence or misdeed, esp one of a minor nature

2. failing in or neglectful of duty or obligation

Other Word Forms

• delinquently adverb
• nondelinquent adjective
• predelinquent adjective
• predelinquently adverb
• undelinquent adjective
• undelinquently adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of delinquent¹

1475–85; < Latin dēlinquent-; delinquency

Word History and Origins

Origin of delinquent¹

C17: from Latin dēlinquēns offending; see _delinquency

Example Sentences

Those mortgages, even if they weren’t delinquent, became worth a fraction of their original value, causing associations’ capital to vanish almost overnight.

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This includes letting delinquent borrowers extend their loan terms to 40 years and reduce monthly payments by 25%.

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“I could be at home, scared and hiding under the bed but I go out in front and have been in shootouts where we fight the delinquents.”

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Car loans delinquent by at least 60 days rose 2.2% month over month in September, according to a Cox Automotive report.

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But so far, they haven’t reported any alarming rises in delinquent loans, another key metric.

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Related Words

• felon 
• hoodlum 
• juvenile delinquent 
• lawbreaker 
• offender 
• wrongdoer