dilatory

[ dil-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

adjective

1. tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy.
2. intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision:

   a dilatory strategy.

dilatory

/ -trɪ; ˈdɪlətərɪ /

adjective

1. tending or inclined to delay or waste time
2. intended or designed to waste time or defer action

Derived Forms

• ˈdilatoriness, noun
• ˈdilatorily, adverb

Other Words From

• dila·tori·ly adverb
• dila·tori·ness noun
• un·dila·tori·ly adverb
• un·dila·tory adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dilatory¹

1250–1300; Middle English (< Anglo-French ) < Latin dīlātōrius, equivalent to dīlā-, suppletive stem of differre to postpone ( differ ) + -tōrius -tory ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of dilatory¹

C15: from Late Latin dīlātōrius inclined to delay, from differre to postpone; see differ

Example Sentences

Decision making is slow, acquisition processes are dilatory, and maintenance of the equipment bought is poor.

From The Daily Beast

The tedious, dilatory time and money-wasting “come later on” procedure of times gone by no longer obtains.

From Project Gutenberg

But the policy of Austria was, at that time, strangely dilatory and irresolute.

From Project Gutenberg

The Greek Government, British retaliation which was all but bankrupt, was dilatory in settling these claims.

From Project Gutenberg

An early dinner was eaten, and the dishes washed with an alacrity in agreeable contrast to the dilatory methods of the morning.

From Project Gutenberg

He felt like explaining to them that he had not just arrived, and that he really was not so foolish or so dilatory as he looked.

From Project Gutenberg