dilatory

[ dil-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]

/ ˈdɪl əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

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See synonyms for: dilatory / dilatorily / dilatoriness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy.

intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision: a dilatory strategy.

QUIZZES

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.

Question 1 of 7

Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?

their

there

they're

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of dilatory

1250–1300; Middle English (<Anglo-French ) <Latin dīlātōrius, equivalent to dīlā-, suppletive stem of differre to postpone (see differ) + -tōrius-tory¹

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, adjective

Words nearby dilatory

dilation and evacuation, dilation and extraction, dilative, dilatometer, dilator, dilatory, Dilaudid, dildo, dilemma, dilettante, dilettantism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for dilatory

Decision making is slow, acquisition processes are dilatory, and maintenance of the equipment bought is poor.
India’s Tryst with Terror|Kanwal Sibal|September 9, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The tedious, dilatory time and money-wasting “come later on” procedure of times gone by no longer obtains.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
But the policy of Austria was, at that time, strangely dilatory and irresolute.
The History of England from the Accession of James II.|Thomas Babington Macaulay
The Greek Government, British retaliation which was all but bankrupt, was dilatory in settling these claims.
A History of the Nineteenth Century, Year by Year|Edwin Emerson

An early dinner was eaten, and the dishes washed with an alacrity in agreeable contrast to the dilatory methods of the morning.
Peggy Raymond's Vacation|Harriet L. (Harriet Lummis) Smith
He felt like explaining to them that he had not just arrived, and that he really was not so foolish or so dilatory as he looked.
What Will People Say?|Rupert Hughes

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, noun

Word Origin for dilatory

C15: from Late Latin dīlātōrius inclined to delay, from differre to postpone; see differ

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

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dilatory

adjective

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Origin of dilatory

OTHER WORDS FROM dilatory

Words nearby dilatory

Example sentences from the Web for dilatory

British Dictionary definitions for dilatory

adjective

Derived forms of dilatory

Word Origin for dilatory

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

dilatory

adjective

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”

Origin of dilatory

OTHER WORDS FROM dilatory

Words nearby dilatory

Words related to dilatory

Example sentences from the Web for dilatory

British Dictionary definitions for dilatory

adjective

Derived forms of dilatory

Word Origin for dilatory