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'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
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
The movie’s story about a rampaging gang resembles the moralistic juvenile delinquent melodramas of the previous decade; but Corman adopts a less judgmental tone.
From New York Times • Aug. 17, 2019
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.
