delinquent
/dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.12 in modern English
20
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of a payment or other financial obligation: late or otherwise unfulfilled.
adj
Failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation; guilty of a misdeed or offense
Example Sentences
- "Fred is delinquent in making his car payment."
- "The company made a new effort to collect delinquent payments."
- "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."
- "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."
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French délinquant, ultimately from Latin delinquens, present participle of delinquo.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *leykʷ-, délinquant, delinquens
Regional Pronunciation
- British English: /dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/