juvenile delinquency

noun

1
: conduct by a juvenile characterized by antisocial behavior that is beyond parental control and therefore subject to legal action
2
: a violation of the law committed by a juvenile and not punishable by death or life imprisonment
juvenile delinquent noun

Examples of juvenile delinquency in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web So that movie, the Warriors, had the direct and unambiguous effect of increasing juvenile delinquency? Matt Thompson, Spin, 26 Sep. 2023 Arizona’s and Wisconsin’s self-disclosure forms, which USA TODAY reviewed, ask about criminal convictions and school discipline but not lawsuits or juvenile delinquency proceedings. Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 13 July 2023 Seven schools ask athletes a question about juvenile delinquency proceedings. Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 13 July 2023 Police arrested the boys suspected in both hotel incidents, and prosecutors charged them under the juvenile delinquency code. Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023 Names are associated with real-world outcomes such as income, education, and juvenile delinquency. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2023 The Payne Fund Studies began to (unsuccessfully) link the rise of juvenile delinquency with Hollywood movies. Chris Yogerst, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Sep. 2022 The Broadway stylization of American youth (created by Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim) was so empathetic toward rock ’n’ roll, juvenile delinquency, and restless urban subcultures that when the film version appeared, adults and teenagers all accepted it. Armond White, National Review, 10 Dec. 2021 This 1967 classic stars Sidney Poitier — who died last month at age 94 — as an out-of-work engineer who has taken a teaching job at a high school and works wonders with a class full of rude, crude young Brits teetering on the brink of juvenile delinquency. Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'juvenile delinquency.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of juvenile delinquency was in 1816

Dictionary Entries Near juvenile delinquency

Cite this Entry

“Juvenile delinquency.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/juvenile%20delinquency. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

juvenile delinquency

noun
: violation of the law (as stealing) or antisocial behavior (as playing hooky from school) by a young person

Medical Definition

juvenile delinquency

noun
1
: conduct by a juvenile characterized by antisocial behavior that is subject to legal action
2
: a violation of the law committed by a juvenile that would have been a crime if committed by an adult

Legal Definition

juvenile delinquency

noun
: a violation of the law committed by a juvenile that would have been a crime if committed by an adult
also : antisocial behavior by juveniles that is subject to legal action

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