delinquent
Americanadjective
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failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation; guilty of a misdeed or offense.
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(of an account, tax, debt, etc.) past due; overdue.
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of or relating to delinquents or delinquency.
delinquent attitudes.
noun
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a person who is delinquent.
noun
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someone, esp a young person, guilty of delinquency See juvenile delinquent
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archaic a person who fails in an obligation or duty
adjective
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guilty of an offence or misdeed, esp one of a minor nature
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failing in or neglectful of duty or obligation
Other Word Forms
- delinquently adverb
- nondelinquent adjective
- predelinquent adjective
- predelinquently adverb
- undelinquent adjective
- undelinquently adverb
Etymology
Origin of delinquent
1475–85; < Latin dēlinquent-; delinquency
Explanation
The adjective delinquent describes something that is past due or people who are negligent in doing their duty. If you are delinquent in paying your delinquent library fines, you won't be able to check out any more books. You may have heard the term juvenile delinquent, which refers to a young (juvenile) person who gets in trouble, often with the law, but people of any age can be delinquent. A delinquent landlord is one who doesn't make repairs. A delinquent tenant is one who does not pay his rent.
Vocabulary lists containing delinquent
The Outsiders
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham
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Touching Spirit Bear
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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 walk a frozen Bothnian Gulf at Nallikari, an obscured lighthouse, a delinquent lifeguard stand, and makeshift saunas stand on white expanse like archaeology.
From Salon • Mar. 8, 2026
A homeowner is considered to be seriously delinquent when they are 90 days late on their mortgage payment.
From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026
Only three million of these debtors, those who are delinquent for nine months or more, would be eligible for wage garnishment.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
About 12.4% of credit-card balances were severely delinquent in last year’s third quarter, about the same as in the 2008-09 recession.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026
Whenever my mom talked about the guy, I could just tell that, despite everything that had happened, she still loved her delinquent brother, or at least her memories of him.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
