Meanings
comparative more delinquent · superlative most delinquent
- Late or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation, like a mortgage or loan.
Fred is delinquent in making his car payment.
Synonyms: defaulting
- Of a payment or other financial obligation: late or otherwise unfulfilled.
The company made a new effort to collect delinquent payments.
1 more example
The station's financial difficulties came to a head last week when the Internal Revenue Service had its bank accounts frozen as a result of delinquent taxes.
1981 February 7, David Morris, “Money Troubles May Close WCAS”, in Gay Community News, volume 8, number 28, page 3 - Failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation; guilty of a misdeed or offense
plural delinquents
- One who disobeys or breaks rules or laws, or who acts against another's wishes.
1 more example
She had the consolation of knowing that any offence given to her dignity could be avenged on the delinquent who caused it, an act of justice which could not fail to be consolatory, since every one of her daughters had at times stood in stead of "guid King James's whipping-boy," when circumstances arose to disturb the equanimity of Lady Anne's imperious and irascible temper.
1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXI, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 269 - A person who has not paid their debts.
- derogatoryhistoricalA royalist in the First English Civil War (1642-1646).
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveLate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation, like a mortgage or loan.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveguilty of a misdeed
adjectivefailing in what duty requires
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latindelinquens
- Middle Frenchdélinquant
- Englishdelinquent
Borrowed from Middle French délinquant, ultimately from Latin delinquens, present participle of delinquo.
More words from Middle French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian нарушител, виновник
- нарушител (narušitel)one who breaks the law
- виновник (vinovnik)one who breaks the law
Catalan delinqüent
- delinqüentone who breaks the law
Chinese Mandarin 犯法者
- 犯法者 (fànfǎzhě)one who breaks the law
Czech delikventní
- delikventníFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
Danish i restance, bagud med betaling
- i restancelate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- bagud med betalinglate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- pligtforsømmendeFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
Dutch in gebreke blijvend
- in gebreke blijvendlate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
Finnish rikollinen
- rikollinenone who breaks the law
French délinquant
- délinquantone who breaks the law
German säumig, rückständig
- säumiglate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- rückständiglate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- straffälligFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- pflichtvernachlässigendFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- pflichtversäumendFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- Delinquentone who breaks the law
- Kriminellerone who breaks the law
- Straffälligerone who breaks the law
Greek παραβατικός
- παραβατικός (paravatikós)one who breaks the law
Hebrew פושעני, חורג
- פושעניFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- חורגFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- חורג מהחוקFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- פורע־חוקFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- פורע־חוקone who breaks the law
Indonesian anak nakal
- anak nakalone who breaks the law
Italian delinquente
- delinquenteone who breaks the law
Japanese 非行者, 下手人
- 非行者 (hikōsha)one who breaks the law
- 下手人 (geshunin)one who breaks the law
Persian خلاف, خلافکار
- خلاف (xalâf)Failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- خلافکار (xalâfkâr)one who breaks the law
- متخلف (motexallef)one who breaks the law
- خاطی (xâti)one who breaks the law
Polish delikwent
- delikwentone who breaks the law
Portuguese delinquente
- delinquenteone who breaks the law
Romanian întârziat, neachitat
- întârziatlate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- neachitatlate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- neplătitlate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- delincventone who breaks the law
Russian уклоня́ющийся от упла́ты, правонаруши́тель
- уклоня́ющийся от упла́ты (uklonjájuščijsja ot upláty)late or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- правонаруши́тель (pravonarušítelʹ)one who breaks the law
- правонаруши́тельница (pravonarušítelʹnica)one who breaks the law
Spanish moroso, delincuente
- morosolate or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation
- delincuenteFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- delictivoFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- delictuosoFailing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation
- delincuenteone who breaks the law
- pishtacoone who breaks the law
Tagalog dalinsil
- dalinsilone who breaks the law
Cite this entry
delinquent. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delinquent
“delinquent.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delinquent. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “delinquent,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/delinquent.
Source: delinquent on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.