juvenile delinquent

noun

as in offender
a young person who has committed a crime

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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 juvenile delinquent Angry and defiant, McQueen became a full throttle juvenile delinquent, and his mother sent him to the California Junior Boys Republic in Chino. — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026 The docuseries also details Gabriel's younger years as a juvenile delinquent. — Daniela Avila, PEOPLE, 1 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for juvenile delinquent
  1. tough
  2. gangster
  3. mobster
  4. ruffian
  5. thug
  6. hoodlum
  7. punk
  8. criminal
Noun
  • Déclassé warriors, sometimes joined by street toughs from other walks of life, gave themselves the airs of swashbuckling samurai.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • And Susan Collins, as Democrats have seen time and time again, is a real tough out.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 21 June 2026
Definition of tough
Noun
  • New owners Jeremy Fall and Sean Maloney plan to preserve its historic character — and the booth gangster Mickey Cohen preferred — while adding dishes such as fresh ravioli and prime rib frites.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, Hollywood actor Danny Trejo’s bread and butter was playing gangsters, prison inmates and other assorted criminals.
    — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • That first role led to films like Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon and 1983’s Scarface, playing the Cuban mobster Tony Montana.
    — Patrick Hipes, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But Rankin mentions a Japanese mobster who was asked what the arrival of overseas competitors meant for the ancient codes of yakuza chivalry.
    — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of mobster
Noun
  • The others were ruffians, teasers, always angling to drink whatever was left in some grownup’s glass.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
  • But as with any good Leonard story, the best moments come from the characters, a rogues’ gallery of violent ruffians and neurotic, duplicitous scoundrels.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ruffian
Noun
  • These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Borisov, who broke through as a thug with a poet’s soul in the 2024 Anora, vests Ilya with the same spiritual contours.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of thug
Noun
  • His warning was meant for American eyes and ears at least as much — if not more so — than for the government in Jerusalem that until now has encouraged the hoodlums by tolerating their violence.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Also in his orbit are a consortium of crooks, including his cousin Freddie, a hip junkie, and Pepper, a taciturn hoodlum who was friends with Ray’s dad, Big Mike, a legendary thief.
    — Niela Orr, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of hoodlum
Noun
  • In the story, Ria teams up with her foster mother and their fellow punks to resist a merciless developer intent on tearing down their building.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Members of punk bands the Raincoats, X-Ray Spex, and the Slits paid tribute to feminist punk legend Poly Styrene with a fiery performance at London’s Up Yours!
    — Jaeden Pinder, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of punk
Noun
  • This can help prevent criminals from opening new credit accounts using your information.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Ford placed the inmate’s bid for clemency on the agenda of the state pardons board — an example, Lombardo claims, of the way Ford treats criminals.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of criminal

Browse Nearby Words

juvenile
juvenile delinquent
juvenile delinquents
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Cite this Entry

“Juvenile delinquent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/juvenile%20delinquent. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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