delinquency

noun

di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē How to pronounce delinquency (audio)
Definition of delinquencynext
1
as in negligence
the nonperformance of an assigned or expected action we received a notice in the mail informing us of our delinquency in paying our utility bill

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in lateness
the quality or state of being late delinquency of our mortgage payment meant that we would have to pay a surcharge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of delinquency Apartment values appear to have faltered in Oakland, an economic erosion that has unleashed loan delinquencies and even foreclosures in a growing number of instances. — George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026 And then police wrote her a misdemeanor citation for three charges, including contributing to the delinquency of a minor. — Diamy Wang august 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026 This glitch marks the latest in a series of administrative failures, following false delinquency notices and incorrect repayment calculations, as major federal student loan reforms are implemented. — Adam S. Minsky, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 On Wednesday, Azucena Gonzalez, while still locked up at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center, was additionally charged with child abuse with no great bodily harm and contributing to the delinquency of a child. — Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for delinquency
Recent Examples of Synonyms for delinquency
  1. negligence
  2. lateness
  3. neglect
  4. tardiness
  5. default
  6. failure
  7. oversight
Noun
  • Even if the property is held in an LLC, the property manager will be personally liable for their personal negligence.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Last week, Nolan-O’Slatarra’s family filed a summons with notice against Durnan in Manhattan Supreme Court, accusing him of assault, gross negligence, and reckless and wanton conduct in connection with the woman’s death.
    — Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of negligence
Noun
  • In 2024, military and overseas ballots were rejected for lateness at more than eight times the rate of domestic mail ballots, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
    — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • This extreme lateness is really unnecessary and New York State should join 46 of its siblings and use the standard July 1 date (Texas, Alabama, Michigan have autumn dates).
    — New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026
Definition of lateness
Noun
  • Now, the City of Oakland is suing the property owner, Mosser Living, alleging elderly and disabled tenants were left stranded in their homes and that the prolonged elevator outage was part of a much broader pattern of neglect.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Undiagnosed learning disabilities, trauma or neglect can also make ordinary frustration feel unmanageable.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of neglect
Noun
  • Their tardiness, which saw the start delayed by half an hour, was continued on the field with India looking like a rabble in the face of the onslaught from Buttler and Brook.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 12 July 2026
  • Target's new attendance point system Target will start tracking unexcused tardiness and absences for its store and warehouse workers in September, assigning point values to violations and terminating any employee who hits 12 points within a year.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 30 June 2026
Definition of tardiness
Noun
  • Binface, a serial candidate who has challenged prime ministers past and present, became the default challenger in a field of 34 candidates after the major parties boycotted the campaign as a political stunt by Farage.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Twitch had a simple justification for letting its parent company, Amazon, use streamers’ content to train generative AI by default.
    — Angela Yang, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of default
Noun
  • The failures of England’s previous generations were multi-faceted, but how much did the national culture feed into the acceptance of their behaviour?
    — Mark Carey, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026
  • These can overwhelm and damage your kidneys, leading to kidney failure.
    — Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of failure
Noun
  • The Illinois auditor general found several oversight issues with the state's Emergency Management Agency-Office of Homeland Security, which helped coordinate the state's response to COVID-19 and the migrant crisis in the Chicago area.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • When serious concerns involving district operations and oversight are raised, the Board has an obligation to investigate them thoroughly, carefully consider the findings and act in the best long-term interest of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
    — Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of oversight

Browse Nearby Words

delineations
delinquency
delinquent
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Delinquency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delinquency. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on delinquency

Nglish: Translation of delinquency for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about delinquency

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All