DELINQUENCIES Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

delinquency

noun

di-ˈliŋ-kwən-sē

Definition of delinquency

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

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 Task Force, with Barrington police officers, arrested Cassidy on charges of contributing to the delinquency of a child and procurement of alcoholic beverages for underage persons, the Rhode Island State Police announced on June 2. — Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 4 Sep. 2026 By the time customer management responds, the window for proactive, low-cost intervention has often closed, and the bank is left managing a delinquency instead of preventing one. — Julie Conroy, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026 This is different from the Federal Reserve's method, which uses credit-reporting data to track delinquency. — Ryley Amond, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 Eyssallenne now faces criminal charges of felony child endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for delinquency

Recent Examples of Synonyms for delinquency

Noun

One is the legal stuff that’s going on—all this liability and product-liability and negligence stuff is starting to gain ground very much like the cigarette.

— Victoria Feng, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026
In early August, the surviving Waithe daughter sued Kara, Zhuldasov and Next Level Express, alleging negligence and reckless conduct.

— John Kelly, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of negligence

Noun

Given our lateness, only a few things would be deemed worthy enough to delay getting to the census site.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
On July 6, reports stated that Harry was offered and had accepted an invite to stay at Buckingham Palace—but the invite was reportedly rescinded due to the lateness of his RSVP.

— Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of lateness

Noun

After all, people today eat hard candy, open bottles with their teeth, neglect to brush and floss.

— Pien Huang, NPR, 19 Sep. 2026
On social media and in legal filings, animal advocates complain that the 50-block zone in downtown Los Angeles that’s home to thousands of unhoused people is an epicenter of animal neglect and cruelty.

— Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of neglect

Noun

Eckhart — who also appeared on Fox News and Fox Nation during her career — was fired from Fox in June 2020, in what the network said was due to tardiness, disclosure of a proprietary graphics package and misappropriation of company resources.

— Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 21 Sep. 2026
Last school year, truancy and tardiness were the top two most prevalent infractions, per the presentation.

— Molly Morrow, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of tardiness

Noun

The bigger shift is that alcohol doesn’t have to be the default centerpiece of every social occasion.

— Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 17 Sep. 2026
The Generalist Premium Has Flipped For two years, the default move has been to pick the largest, most general AI vendor available.

— Kyle Nakatsuji, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of default

Noun

It is built the same way that the figure skater builds a routine or the running back learns to explode through a crack in the line—repetition after repetition, failure after failure, with no shortcut available and no machine that can stand in.

— Dan Rockmore, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
That makes preventing deployment and routing failures especially important as these fleets expand.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of failure

Noun

The discussions also focused on editorial oversight of CBS News and CNN, a key concern for East Coast attorneys general.

— Gene Maddaus, Variety, 21 Sep. 2026
And two bills by Assemblymember Diane Papan (D-San Mateo) will require oversight of data center water consumption.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of oversight

Browse Nearby Words

delineations

delinquency

delinquent

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Delinquency.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/delinquency. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of delinquency

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on delinquency

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compendious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

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

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes