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
  • The Capone associates lined up six members of Moran's gang, and a seventh unaffiliated man who apparently liked hanging out with gangsters, against the north wall of the garage.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Matt’s blood cells gain the ability to transform and instantly reshape his body into someone else, such as Corr or the gangster who disfigured him or even his own father (played in a quick cameo by Aaron Paul).
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of gangster
Noun
  • In a rare lead role, one that gives him a frankly magnificent coat, Turturro adds to his late-career renaissance as an old-school pickpocket who runs afoul of a Gen-Z mobster.
    — Nate Jones, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026
  • 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
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
  • The other was Albrecht Hohler, thirty, a Communist member of the paramilitary group the Red Front Fighters and well known locally as a particularly vicious thug—a petty criminal who had been released from jail only a few months earlier.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2026
  • These low-level thugs typically are not believed to be formally aligned with Iran.
    — Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 13 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
  • Rider seems to be agnostic about what’s dressy or casual; austere or bohemian; sporty or formal; preppy or punk; town or country.
    — Miles Socha, Footwear News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Paquette was in a ska/punk band in his youth, then began setting up impromptu music shows in rehearsal studios and other places.
    — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 27 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

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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 29 Oct. 2026.

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