ie. Knowing that they have an unpaid debt, yet doesn't care.
I suppose "he is renouncing his debt" would be fine, but it doesn't seem to flow well.
"he is abandoning his debt" doesn't sound too good either, so are there any better alternatives?
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1Duplicate of english.stackexchange.com/questions/198615/…– adj7388Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 20:40
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2A bad Lannister.– Tushar RajCommented Jul 7, 2015 at 17:54
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"He is escaping debts" (or he is shirking his liabilities).– GraffitoCommented Apr 12, 2016 at 9:16
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5 Answers
In BrE, deliberately running away from a debt is "welshing". You welsh on a debt.
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The AmE equivalent is "welching," which follows the same pattern.– NicoleCommented Apr 22, 2015 at 20:28
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3In American English, welching is usually reserved for bets, not debts. You welch on a bet.– adj7388Commented Apr 22, 2015 at 20:35
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2It's probably best to avoid an unnecessary slur, though, no matter how old of a term.– CordCommented Apr 22, 2015 at 20:36
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1@adj7388: But if you lose a bet, you have a debt, ergo you are welshing on a debt, no? Commented Apr 23, 2015 at 9:04
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@Cord. Look at my surname; I am somewhat Welsh myself, though I never welsh. (smiley, if these work/are allowed here) Commented Apr 23, 2015 at 9:35
A fairly proper and all-encompassing verb would be "renege":
He is reneging on his debts.
It does somewhat depends on why he is not paying his debts. Does he no longer believe debt is a valid measure in society? Is he now jobless and unable to pay debts he would like to otherwise pay? Different verbs will convey those different intents, but "reneging" should satisfy any of them.
Deadbeat -- a very common american usage.
He's being delinquent on his debts/in paying his debts
delinquent
: failing to pay an amount of money that is owed
: a status that suggests to a lender that you are late in paying your debts. Being delinquent on your debts often means being more than 30 days late twice or 60 days late once. Being delinquent often means your account is handed over to a collection agency for collecting payment. This step not only results in you being called at home for payment, but also undermines your credit history.
: North American In arrears: delinquent accounts
: formal Failing in one’s duty.
... you will learn that once a person in our society has developed a history of being delinquent on his debts he will, most likely, continue those payment habits for the rest of his adult life.
Cash Or Credit?: A Nuts and Bolts Guide to Effective Credit Management
Also, He's being derelict in paying his debts
derelict
: neglectful of duty; delinquent; negligent.
: chiefly North American (Of a person) shamefully negligent in not having done what one should have done: he was derelict in his duty to his country
In the USA with student loans, we use default: he defaulted on his loans. But that doesn't specifically mean that person doesn't care. Even wikipedia has a page on defaulting on student loans: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student_loan_default_in_the_United_States
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1Default refers to a financial status, not an emotional one.– chosterCommented Jul 7, 2015 at 19:03