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delinquent

UK /dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/adjective, noun

delinquent is spelled D-E-L-I-N-Q-U-E-N-T: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, delinquent means “Late or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation, like a mortgage or loan” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).

How many letters and syllables are in delinquent?

Letters10: D-E-L-I-N-Q-U-E-N-T
Syllables3 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing1.3 times per million words; the 24,745th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is delinquent?

Delinquent appears 1.3 times per million words in written English, the 24,745th most frequent word form in the list.

Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How do you pronounce delinquent?

  • UK /dɪˈlɪŋkwənt/

Delinquent has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-delinquent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of delinquent

  • more delinquent comparative
  • most delinquent superlative
  • delinquents plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does delinquent mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

adjective

  1. 1

    Late or failing to pay a debt or other financial obligation, like a mortgage or loan.

    Fred is delinquent in making his car payment.

  2. 2

    Of a payment or other financial obligation: late or otherwise unfulfilled.

    The company made a new effort to collect delinquent payments.

  3. 3

    Failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation; guilty of a misdeed or offense

noun

  1. 1

    One who disobeys or breaks rules or laws, or who acts against another's wishes.

  2. 2

    A person who has not paid their debts.

  3. 3

    derogatoryA royalist in the First English Civil War (1642-1646).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Delinquent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Germansäumig, rückständig (late or failing to pay a debt or other…), straffällig, pflichtvernachlässigend, pflichtversäumend (Failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation), Delinquent (one who breaks the law)
Spanishmoroso (late or failing to pay a debt or other…), delincuente, delictivo, delictuoso (Failing in or neglectful of a duty or obligation), pishtaco (one who breaks the law)
Frenchdélinquant (one who breaks the law)
Portuguesedelinquente (one who breaks the law)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does delinquent come from?

Borrowed from Middle French délinquant, ultimately from Latin delinquens, present participle of delinquo.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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