as in tough
a young person who has committed a crime
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for juvenile delinquent
Noun
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The most nail-biting scene in the movie involves not a local tough but Claire, desperate in withdrawal, threatening to kidnap and kill the family dog if Kate doesn’t give her some money.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
12 June 2025 -
Williams is already Beale Street jerky tough and looks like a plug-and-play 3-and-D wing.—
Kelly Iko,
The Athletic,
11 Apr. 2024
Noun
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The all-star cast for the limited series includes Kevin Hart as Chicken Man, the organizer of the party, Taraji P. Henson as his right hand woman Vivian Thomas, Samuel L. Jackson as gangster Frank Moten, and Don Cheadle as J.D. Hudson, the cop trying to figure out who really orchestrated the crime.—
Marcus Jones,
IndieWire,
20 June 2025
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Creature With the Atom Brain sees a gangster force a German scientist to reanimate the dead with atomic radiation in order to pull off crimes (recalling both Frankenstein and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, films that fit neatly alongside the zombie genre).—
Daniel Dockery,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
Noun
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And for them, solving murders, consorting with mobsters, and adopting aliases all turn out to be more life-affirming—not to mention entertaining—than chair yoga and a salt-free diet.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
25 June 2025
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Roe, an African American mobster, ran a policy wheel that offered prize money to players who picked the right sequence of random numbers.—
Ron Grossman,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2025
Noun
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Some of the posts, such as one referencing a viral debate about whether 100 men or one gorilla would win in a fight, have tapped into an internet phenomenon of the moment.—
Brett Samuels,
The Hill,
7 May 2025
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The next year Wickers came to Wrigley on opening day wearing a gorilla suit.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Friends and neighbors worried that these rumors could attract dangerous young ruffians who might harm them and steal the money.—
Mara Bovsun,
New York Daily News,
15 Dec. 2024
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Troy Stecher is a puck-mover with some two-way ability but is not considered a ruffian in the corners and in front of the net.—
Allan Mitchell,
The Athletic,
9 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Ultra Man is sort of Lex's thug and is pretty powerful.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 June 2025
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This will reveal paid fake thugs posing as protesters becoming violent.—
James Rainey,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2025
Noun
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Sir Jimmy Crystal gives deeply unsettling vibes from the get-go, and while his bizarre gang of hoodlums do save Spike’s life, it’s implied that Spike may have wandered into a much worse situation.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
25 June 2025
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Critics say police gave up when the rioting erupted in 1992, letting big chunks of the city burn while looters and hoodlums ruled.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2025
Noun
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The result is a movie that defined the punk ethos for an entire generation of viewers.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 June 2025
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Two of the leads hated each other — the British stage actor thought the scruffy newcomer was a snot-nosed punk, and his younger co-star felt the veteran thespian was a drunk with a superiority complex.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
20 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Juvenile delinquent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/juvenile%20delinquent. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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