delinquency

IPA/dɪˈlɪŋkwənsi/
KK[dɪlˈɪŋkwənsi]IPA/dɪˈlɪŋkwənsi/

delinquency — 名詞

  • 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

逾期還款

未在到期日前償還債務的情況

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.

Lucia 收到一封關於她的學生貸款帳戶逾期還款的警告信。

pattern: delinquency on + account

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

如果你的信用卡逾期超過三十天，銀行會收取滯納金。

常見搭配
  • mortgage delinquency
  • loan delinquency
  • credit card delinquency
  • delinquency notice
  • delinquency status
  • delinquency rate
  • tax delinquency
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

青少年犯罪

未成年人的違法或反社會行為

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.

Kingston Youth Support 課後輔導計劃在兩年內將該地區青少年逃學和入店行竊的比例減少了近六成。

pattern: delinquency prevention + specific outcomes

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

Hikaru 的母親幫他報名了體育社團，希望他不要走上歧途。

常見搭配
  • juvenile delinquency
  • youth delinquency
  • delinquency prevention
  • delinquency problem
  • delinquency rate
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

違規行為

違反法律或道德標準的具體行為

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.

委員會發現了兩名高階主管涉及財務違規行為的證據。

collocation: financial delinquency

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

Kwame 因一項輕微違規行為被學校停學，他對此立刻感到後悔。

常見搭配
  • financial delinquency
  • minor delinquency
  • delinquency charge
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.

同根字

常見搭配

名詞搭配

  • delinquency rate
  • delinquency problem
  • delinquency prevention

常用片語

  • in delinquency (sense 1)

介系詞搭配

  • delinquency among (sense 2)
  • delinquency on (sense 1)