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
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.
Opened in 1873, the privately operated detention facility housed petty delinquents and orphans, said Marc Schindler, a professor at Georgetown who leads the project.
From Barron's
A state tax tribunal ruled that the Pung estate was entitled to the exemption, but the local assessor appealed and reported the property as delinquent.
Local authorities generally provide multiple notices and opportunities to resolve delinquent taxes before taking extreme measures such as foreclosure.
From MarketWatch
The amount of delinquent credit-card debt and auto loans has stabilized for now, but remains at elevated levels.
From MarketWatch
A homeowner is considered to be seriously delinquent when they are 90 days late on their mortgage payment.
From MarketWatch
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.
