belated
Americanadjective
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coming or being after the customary, useful, or expected time.
belated birthday greetings.
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late, delayed, or detained.
We started the meeting without the belated representative.
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Archaic. obsolete; old-fashioned; out-of-date.
a belated view of world politics.
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Archaic. overtaken by darkness or night.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of belated
First recorded in 1610–20; belate “to delay” ( be- + late ) + -ed 2
Explanation
Something belated comes after the fact. If you are late to deliver a birthday greeting, then make it a "happy belated birthday" card. Belated Christmas gifts come after December 25. Belated birthday greetings are still sweet, but a belated New Year's Eve party? Sort of pointless. Belated can refer to less effective actions when used in more significant settings — consider "a belated push to secure tax breaks for the working poor" or "a belated apology for indiscretions committed during the senator's scandalous college years."
Vocabulary lists containing belated
Dear Martin
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Piecing Me Together
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Mr. Popper’s Penguins
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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.
Amid mounting public criticism, police embarked on belated searches for several missing persons on the island, and have since discovered four bodies in recent weeks.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
EchoStar said in mid-June that DBS would make belated interest payments on several of its bonds due on June 1.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
"Happy belated 80th birthday, @POTUS," Merz wrote on X.
From Barron's ● Jun. 16, 2026
Their discomfort now is real, but it is also belated and partial.
From Salon ● May 5, 2026
Her belated interest so delighted Ralph that as they huddled over the kitchen table, he kissed her several times, ardently.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
