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 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
  • And Susan Collins, as Democrats have seen time and time again, is a real tough out.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 21 June 2026
  • In that version, the character is played by Joe Don Baker, the great character actor known for playing toughs in films like Walking Tall (1973) and Fletch (1985).
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 5 June 2026
Definition of tough
Noun
  • But when a patient recognizes him from his dangerous past, Brown has eight hours to elude the government, mob hitmen, quack surgeons, and a trail of dead gangsters to somehow beat the reaper.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Somebody like Gilroy or Jeff Kober and Barry Corbin (popping up occasionally as a pair of geriatric gangsters) will come and go in situations knowingly designed to feel contrived.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • Jay cites the scene in which Tommy DeVito (played by Joe Pesci) threatens Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) with increasingly outrageous acts of violence, turning the mobster’s menace into dark comedy.
    — John Kennedy, VIBE.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • He gets involved with mobsters in a shady loan scheme that lands him in prison.
    — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of mobster
Noun
  • 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
  • Interestingly, that cigar-smoking biker ruffian was not a character in the DC Comics title of a few years back.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 5 June 2026
Definition of ruffian
Noun
  • The residents occasionally gather in a disused rec center but the meetings devolve into rants about immigrants, junkies, thugs and vigilantism.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026
  • That a Christian man was responsible for the devastation in Oklahoma City certainly didn’t matter to the thugs who terrorized a Muslim woman there, nearly seven months pregnant, by attacking her home, breaking her windows, screaming religious slurs.
    — Reshma Memon Yaqub, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 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
  • After celebrating its 25th edition in 2025, one of the country’s longest-running punk festivals was suddenly taking a year off.
    — Dick Slaughter, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The conversation also explores the state of rock and punk, the new generation of bands pushing those genres forward, the conversation around the use of backing tracks and how the business side of music has changed.
    — SPIN Staff, SPIN, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of punk
Noun
  • The Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering watchdog, has warned that criminals exploit citizenship and residency programs to conceal their identities, launder illicit wealth and evade justice.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The real risk is that a criminal could forge your signature on a deed or trick you into signing paperwork that transfers ownership, then file that document with the local office that maintains property records.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 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 10 Oct. 2026.

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