DELINQUENCY

[noun]Her difficult childhood set her on the path to delinquency (= illegal or unacceptable behaviour). [U]There is a high rate of juvenile delinquency in this area. [U]His past delinquencies (= acts of behaving illegally or unacceptably) have made it difficult for him to get a job. [C](formal) It was delinquency (= failure to act in the right way) on the part of the managing director that led to the collapse of the company. [U]