hoodlum

A hoodlum is an informal and often pejorative term used to describe a person, typically a young individual, who engages in street-level criminal or disruptive behavior. The word is not a formal criminology category; it is mainly a colloquial label applied to petty criminals, vandals, or street troublemakers rather than to a defined legal type of offender.

Origin and usage have varied. The term is believed to have emerged in the United States in the early 20th century, with possible connections to “hood” as slang for a neighborhood or to the notion of wearing a hood or concealing one’s identity. Over time, hoodlum carried strong media associations with urban crime and juvenile delinquency, especially in fiction and newspaper reporting.

Connotations of the term are largely negative and sensational. Hoodlums are often depicted as part of a streetwise subculture or, in some contexts, as members of a neighborhood gang. Because it is informal, the label can be imprecise and is sometimes considered stigmatizing, rather than a precise descriptor of criminal behavior or legal status.

In contemporary usage, more precise terms are common in official contexts, such as delinquent, juvenile offender, or street gang member. Hoodlum remains primarily a cultural or historical expression, frequently encountered in literature, film, and discussions of mid-20th-century urban crime.