dilatory
Americanadjective
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tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy.
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intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision.
a dilatory strategy.
adjective
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tending or inclined to delay or waste time
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intended or designed to waste time or defer action
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of dilatory
1250–1300; Middle English (< Anglo-French ) < Latin dīlātōrius, equivalent to dīlā-, suppletive stem of differre to postpone ( see differ) + -tōrius -tory 1
Explanation
Something dilatory creates a delay. Remember when your math teacher asked you to work out a problem on the board and you tried to get her talking about her favorite theorems instead? That was a dilatory tactic. The adjective dilatory comes from the Latin root word dilator, a noun that means "someone who puts off things" or "a procrastinator." If you are always late to appointments, people may accuse you of being dilatory, especially if they think you don't have a good excuse.
Vocabulary lists containing dilatory
Languor Management: Synonyms for "Lazy"
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It must have slipped my mind...
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What Was That Again? Words With Difficult-to-Remember Meanings
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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.
And, apparently, this time Dilatory was not coming, for the travelers walked all the way without meeting the carriage.
From Patty Fairfield by Wells, Carolyn
Dilatory motions were granted from time to time, and it was not until the 4th of June that demurrers to the indictments were filed.
From Personal Reminiscences of Early Days in California with Other Sketches; To Which Is Added the Story of His Attempted Assassination by a Former Associate on the Supreme Bench of the State by Field, Stephen Johnson
That's short for Dilatory, and we call him that 'cause he's so slow.
From Patty Fairfield by Wells, Carolyn
One of Them, who was of a Dilatory Nature, said: "I will not Hurry Myself, for I Doubt Not the Market contains Plenty for all who come."
From The Wit and Humor of America, Volume III. (of X.) by Wilder, Marshall Pinckney
Dilatory tactics and compromises are often more dangerous than giving a little more than the least amount of treatment possible, for good measure.
From The Third Great Plague A Discussion of Syphilis for Everyday People by Stokes, John H. (John Hinchman)
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
