tardy

[ tahr-dee ]
See synonyms for: tardytardilytardiness on Thesaurus.com

adjective,tar·di·er, tar·di·est.
  1. late; behind time; not on time: How tardy were you today?

  2. moving or acting slowly; slow; sluggish.

  1. delaying through reluctance.

Origin of tardy

1
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; see -ive

Other words for tardy

Opposites for tardy

Other words from tardy

  • tar·di·ly, adverb
  • tar·di·ness, noun

Words Nearby tardy

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tardy in a sentence

  • tardy I might be, but it was hardly conceivable that my presence aboard the rocket could have averted the catastrophe.

    The Worlds of If | Stanley Grauman Weinbaum
  • And who is Sir tardy Knight that hither comes with masked face?

British Dictionary definitions for tardy

tardy

/ (ˈtɑːdɪ) /


adjective-dier or -diest
  1. occurring later than expected: tardy retribution

  2. slow in progress, growth, etc: a tardy reader

Origin of tardy

1
C15: from Old French tardif, from Latin tardus slow

Derived forms of tardy

  • tardily, adverb
  • tardiness, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012