dilatory
[ dil-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]
/ ˈdɪl əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /
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adjective
tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy.
intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision: a dilatory strategy.
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QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
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Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
Origin of dilatory
OTHER WORDS FROM dilatory
dil·a·to·ri·ly, adverbdil·a·to·ri·ness, nounun·dil·a·to·ri·ly, adverbun·dil·a·to·ry, adjectiveWords nearby dilatory
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for dilatory
British Dictionary definitions for dilatory
dilatory
/ (ˈdɪlətərɪ, -trɪ) /
adjective
tending or inclined to delay or waste time
intended or designed to waste time or defer action
Derived forms of dilatory
dilatorily, adverbdilatoriness, nounWord Origin for dilatory
C15: from Late Latin dīlātōrius inclined to delay, from differre to postpone; see differ
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