Delinquency
noun
noun ·4 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Misconduct. countable, uncountable
- 2 an antisocial misdeed in violation of the law by a minor wordnet
- 3 A criminal offense. countable, uncountable
- 4 a tendency to be negligent and uncaring wordnet
- 5 A debt that is overdue for payment. countable, uncountable
"Commercial and multifamily mortgage delinquencies increased in the first quarter of 2023, according to a new report from the Mortgage Bankers Association. […] The quarterly analysis looks at delinquency rates for five of the largest investor groups: FDIC-insured banks and thrifts, commercial mortgage-backed securities, life insurance companies, and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."
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- 6 nonpayment of a debt when due wordnet
Example
More examples"Recently juvenile delinquency has been on the rise."
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin dēlinquentia, derived from Latin dēlinquēns, present participle of dēlinquō (“I transgress, err”). By surface analysis, delinquent + -cy
Related phrases
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.