delinquency

/dɪˈlɪŋkwənsi/ (bre, ipa) · /dɪˈlɪŋkwənsi/ (ame, ipa) · /di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē -ˈlin-/ (ame, mw)

delinquency — noun

  • delinquencysingular
  • delinquenciesplural

1. a situation in which a person or organisation fails to pay money they owe by the

1.名詞B2
釋義

a situation in which a person or organisation fails to pay money they owe by the required date — for example, a credit-card payment that is past due, an overdue mortgage instalment, or unpaid taxes that have passed their deadline.

例句

Lucia received a warning letter about delinquency on her student loan account.

pattern: delinquency on + account

The bank charges a late fee if your credit card shows delinquency for over thirty days.

同義詞
  • default

    stronger; implies complete failure to repay rather than just lateness

  • non-payment

    factual; does not specify whether the payment is overdue or never made

  • overdue status

    more descriptive; common in customer-service contexts

反義詞

文法句型

delinquency on + financial product

in delinquency

delinquency + noun (as modifier)

用法筆記

Uncountable. Predominantly used in American English for financial contexts; the British equivalent is often arrears. Common modifier in banking: delinquency rate, delinquency notice, delinquency status.

常見錯誤

❌I have a delinquency of $200.
✅My account is in delinquency for $200.
💡Delinquency is a state or condition, not a concrete debt amount.
❌His delinquencies on three credit cards ruined his credit score.
✅His delinquency on three credit cards ruined his credit score.
💡This sense is uncountable; do not use the plural even when multiple accounts are involved.

2. behaviour by a child or teenager that breaks the law or seriously goes against w

2.名詞B2
釋義

behaviour by a child or teenager that breaks the law or seriously goes against what society accepts as proper — for example, stealing, fighting, vandalising property, or skipping school repeatedly.

例句

The Kingston Youth Support after-school programme cut teenage truancy and shoplifting in the area by nearly sixty percent over two years.

pattern: delinquency prevention + specific outcomes

Hikaru's mother enrolled him in a sports club to keep him away from delinquency.

同義詞
  • misconduct

    broader term that includes adults; less likely to imply criminality

  • offending

    more formal; used in criminology and legal contexts

  • lawbreaking

    more direct and informal; focuses on the illegality

反義詞

文法句型

delinquency + noun (as modifier)

delinquency among + group

用法筆記

Uncountable — refers to the general phenomenon or pattern of youth misbehaviour, not a single act. Frequently appears in the fixed phrase juvenile delinquency in legal, academic, and policy writing.

常見錯誤

❌My son's delinquency was eating cookies before dinner.
✅My son's delinquency was stealing from a shop.
💡Delinquency implies illegal or seriously antisocial behaviour, not just minor disobedience.
❌He committed three delinquencies this month.
✅He was involved in three acts of delinquency this month.
💡As uncountable behaviour (sense 2), delinquency does not take a plural form.

3. a specific act that violates the law or accepted moral standards — for example,

3.名詞C1
釋義

a specific act that violates the law or accepted moral standards — for example, a minor crime by an adult, a breach of professional ethics, or a violation of organisational rules.

例句

The committee found evidence of financial delinquency by two senior managers.

collocation: financial delinquency

Kwame was suspended from school for a minor delinquency that he regretted immediately.

同義詞
  • violation

    more specific to rule-breaking; common in legal language

  • misdemeanour

    specifically a minor crime; used in US law

  • offence

    the standard formal term for an illegal act

反義詞
  • virtue

    positive moral quality; opposite in ethical terms

文法句型

a + delinquency

delinquency + of + noun

用法筆記

Countable — refers to one specific wrongful act, unlike sense 2 (general uncountable behaviour). Often used in formal or legal writing about institutional or professional misconduct.

常見錯誤

❌His delinquency of showing up late was unacceptable.
✅His delinquency was sharing confidential data with a competitor.
💡Delinquency (sense 3) implies a violation of rules or laws, not just lateness.