belated

[ bih-ley-tid ]

adjective

1. coming or being after the customary, useful, or expected time:

   belated birthday greetings.

2. late, delayed, or detained:

   We started the meeting without the belated representative.

3. Archaic. obsolete; old-fashioned; out-of-date:

   a belated view of world politics.

4. Archaic. overtaken by darkness or night.

belated

/ bɪˈleɪtɪd /

adjective

1. late or too late

   belated greetings

Derived Forms

• beˈlatedly, adverb
• beˈlatedness, noun

Other Words From

• be·lat·ed·ly adverb
• be·lat·ed·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of belated¹

First recorded in 1610–20; belate “to delay” ( be- + late ) + -ed ²

Example Sentences

I would very much like to talk to Ford about naming a plant, a building, or something after Joe Louis in a kind of belated act of reparations for this really horrendous file.

From Freakonomics

Sher led a staff of fewer than 40 lawyers and historians as they combed through decades-old documents in the United States and Europe in the pursuit of belated justice.

From Washington Post

She submitted belated applications three times, she said — and hopes they will make it off the waiting list.

From Washington Post

Easily the biggest crowd-pleaser on this list, the belated-coming-of-age comedy “We Are Lady Parts” is also a triumph of representation — and a compelling illustration of how quickly online discourse about representation can get distorted.

From Washington Post

Some of the belated boost is caused by increased supplies of coronavirus vaccines, which come at a crucial time for the Asia-Pacific region.

From Washington Post

Marrero—who only reached “The Show” as a belated 39-year-old rookie—always did possess an odd sense of timing.

From The Daily Beast

But could this invoking of the words of the Godfather of Soul be a belated effort to inflate these flat polling numbers?

From The Daily Beast

But there is a belated wake-up among conservatives opposed to cannibalization.

From The Daily Beast

Rick Santorum, the (belated) winner in Iowa, who had been battling Gingrich for that distinction, is the unambiguous loser.

From The Daily Beast

Some belated scrutiny of the congressional record that later earned him big bucks.

From The Daily Beast

They found a few belated sowars of the 3d Cavalry, who took refuge in a wood, and the artillery opened fire at the trees!

From Project Gutenberg

The belated moon stole up from its lair, hovered above the sky-line, a gaudy orange sphere in the haze of smoke.

From Project Gutenberg

Every girl should have one girl's good time, and although mine is belated, it would be silly to let it pass.

From Project Gutenberg

Then a belated sense of fear came to her with the consciousness of victory, and she slipped into bed, cold to the bone.

From Project Gutenberg

Belated young Tractarians who burn incense in their monastic bedrooms were no more common in Liverpool then than they are to-day.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• delayed
• long-delayed
• overdue
• tardy