delinquent

delinquent (dɪˈlɪŋkwənt)

—n
1.	See juvenile delinquent someone, esp a young person, guilty of delinquency
2.	archaic a person who fails in an obligation or duty

—*adj*
3.	guilty of an offence or misdeed, esp one of a minor nature
4.	failing in or neglectful of duty or obligation

[C17: from Latin dēlinquēns offending; see delinquency]

de'linquently

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Word Origin & History

delinquent

late 15c., from L. delinquentum (nom. delinquens), prp. of delinquere, from de- "completely" + linquere "to leave" (see relinquish). The adj. and noun are equally old in English.

Example sentences

Creditors are trying to get whatever they can out of delinquent credit card

accounts.

As a revenue officer, Yancey was charged with collecting taxes from delinquent

taxpayers.

The following is a list of parcels and owners with property taxes that are

delinquent for three or more years.

The balance rose as the bank tacked on lawyers' fees and the loan was deemed

delinquent.

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"Men conceive themselves as morally superior to those with whom they differ in opinion. A Socialist who thinks that the opinions of Mr. Gladstone on Socialism are unsound and his own sound, is within his rights; but a Socialist who thinks that his opinions are virtuous and Mr. Gladstone's vicious, violates the first rule of morals and manners in a Democratic country; namely, that you must not treat your political opponent as a moral delinquent."

-George Bernard Shaw