delinquency

1 nonpayment of a debt when due

2 a tendency to be negligent and uncaring; "he inherited his delinquency from his father"; "his derelictions were not really intended as crimes"; "his adolescent protest consisted of willful neglect of all his responsibilities" [syn: dereliction, willful neglect]

3 an antisocial misdeed in violation of the law by a minor [syn: juvenile delinquency]

English

Noun

1. misconduct
2. a criminal offense
3. a debt that is overdue for payment

Derived terms

• juvenile delinquency

A delinquent is one who fails to do that which is required by law or by duty when such failure is minor in nature.

The term is often used to refer to a juvenile who commits a minor criminal act—juvenile delinquents.

In other cases, a delinquent is a person who fails to pay a debt or other financial obligation, like a mortgage. Failure to cure a delinquent payment can result in repossession or foreclosure.

See also

• Juvenile delinquency
• Misdemeanor
• Felony
• Neglected or Delinquent Technical Assistance Center (NDTAC)

aberrance, aberrancy, abnormality, amorality, arrear, arrearage, arrears, atrocity, backsliding, bad debt, breach, carnality, crime, crime against humanity, criminality, deadly sin, decline, defalcation, default, defection, defectiveness, deficit, delinquence, dereliction, deviance, deviancy, disconformity, dishonor, dishonoring, disregard, enormity, error, evil, evil nature, failure, falling short, fault, felony, genocide, guilty act, heavy sin, illegality, immorality, imperfection, improperness, impropriety, impurity, inadequacy, inappropriateness, inattention, incorrectness, indecorousness, indecorum, indiscretion, inexpiable sin, inferiority, infraction, iniquity, injury, injustice, inobservance, insufficiency, lapse, laxity, malefaction, malfeasance, malum, minor wrong, misdeed, misdemeanor, misfeasance, moral delinquency, mortal sin, neglect, negligence, nonadherence, noncompliance, nonconformance, nonconformity, nondischarge of debts, nonfeasance, nonfulfillment, nonobservance, nonpayment, nonperformance, nonremittal, offense, omission, outrage, oversight, peccability, peccadillo, peccancy, prodigality, protest, protested bill, recidivism, repudiation, short measure, shortage, shortcoming, shortfall, sin, sin of commission, sin of omission, sinful act, sinfulness, slight, slip, slump, tort, transgression, trespass, trip, unangelicalness, unchastity, uncleanness, uncollectible, underage, unfitness, unfittingness, ungodliness, ungoodness, unlawfulness, unmorality, unobservance, unrighteousness, unsaintliness, unseemliness, unsuitability, unutterable sin, unvirtuousness, venial sin, vice, viciousness, violation, wantonness, waywardness, weakness, wickedness, wrong, wrongdoing, wrongfulness, wrongness