tardy

[ tahr-dee ]

adjective

, tar·di·er, tar·di·est.

1. late; behind time; not on time:

   How tardy were you today?

   Synonyms: slack

   Antonyms: punctual, prompt

2. moving or acting slowly; slow; sluggish.
3. delaying through reluctance.

   Synonyms: dilatory

tardy

/ ˈtɑːdɪ /

adjective

1. occurring later than expected

   tardy retribution

2. slow in progress, growth, etc

   a tardy reader

Derived Forms

• ˈtardily, adverb
• ˈtardiness, noun

Other Words From

• tar·di·ly adverb
• tar·di·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tardy¹

First recorded in 1475–85; earlier tardive, tardif, from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin tardīvus, equivalent to Latin tard(us) “slow” + -īvus adjective suffix; -ive

Word History and Origins

Origin of tardy¹

C15: from Old French tardif, from Latin tardus slow

Example Sentences

“The effort is praiseworthy, but so excessively tardy that it is perfectly useless,” a collective of linguists wrote in the Liberation newspaper on Thursday.

From BBC

The idea is to accommodate slow play after more than a quarter of PGA Tour events were unable to complete a round before darkness because play was tardy.

From BBC

Morrissey asserted that the tardy disclosure of the Teske rounds did not hamper Baldwin’s defense because his attorneys apparently knew about the ammunition before the trial.

From Los Angeles Times

Even allowing for the delays caused by the weather, St Andrews’ unique double greens and shared fairways, such tardy pace of play undermined what should have been an extraordinary spectacle.

From BBC

Crew members also complained about tardy payments on a subsequent Emmett film project last spring near Cincinnati called “Alarum.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• belated
• delayed
• delinquent
• overdue
• sluggish