belatedly

American

[bih-ley-tid-lee] / bɪˈleɪ tɪd li /

adverb

after the customary, useful, or expected time.

If a law shouldn't have been passed in the first place, it's no crime to belatedly reverse it.
I received your letter last month, and I wanted to thank you, even if belatedly.

Etymology

Origin of belatedly

belated ( def. ) + -ly

Vocabulary lists containing belatedly

"A Soldier for the Crown," Vocabulary from the short story

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When Mortensen belatedly attempts to help Indy, Paul screams at him to “get away from my child.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 21, 2026

The idea of history being celebrated and preserved courses through “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” a conversational documentary belatedly assembled from a 1972 gathering of Harlem Renaissance giants at Duke Ellington’s apartment.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2026

The best international artist category belatedly reflects the rise of Latin music, with Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny and Spanish iconoclast Rosalía receiving the genre's first ever Brit nominations.

From BBC • Jan. 21, 2026

As for the Americans, they belatedly realized their misjudgment about the “walk-in” they had dismissed.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

Kevin and I should have made a splint for that leg, I thought belatedly.

From "Kindred" by Octavia Butler

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023