late

[leyt]

See more synonyms for late on Thesaurus.com

adjective, lat·er or lat·ter, lat·est or last.

occurring, coming, or being after the usual or proper time: late frosts; a late spring.
continued until after the usual time or hour; protracted: a late business meeting.
near or at the end of day or well into the night: a late hour.

belonging to the time just before the present moment; most recent: a late news bulletin.
immediately preceding the present one; former: the late attorney general.
recently deceased: the late Mr. Phipps.
occurring at an advanced stage in life: a late marriage.
belonging to an advanced period or stage in the history or development of something: the late phase of feudalism.

adverb, lat·er, lat·est.

after the usual or proper time, or after delay: to arrive late.
until after the usual time or hour; until an advanced hour, especially of the night: to work late.
at or to an advanced time, period, or stage: The flowers keep their blossoms late in warm climates.
recently but no longer: a man late of Chicago, now living in Philadelphia.

Idioms

of late, lately; recently: The days have been getting warmer of late.

Origin of late

before 900; Middle English; Old English læt slow, late; cognate with German lass slothful, Old Norse latr, Gothic lats slow, lazy, Latin lassus tired

Related formslate·ness, nouno·ver·late, adjectiveo·ver·late·ness, noun

Can be confusedformer later latter

Synonyms for late

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. tardy; slow, dilatory; delayed, belated. 4. See modern.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for lateness

prolongation, backwardness, tardiness, delay, protraction, slowness, retardation

Examples from the Web for lateness

Contemporary Examples of lateness

Collins, for all his lateness, is still ahead of all his gay colleagues.
Jason Collins Becomes the First Openly Gay Active NBA Player
Justin Green
April 30, 2013
Bieber's team tweeted an apology for his lateness, which is perhaps a new low in the history of rock ‘n’ roll and social media.
Bieber Late For UK Gig, Homework Suffers, Bedtimes Missed
Tom Sykes
March 5, 2013
I was sick of his lateness and his wildness and sick of all that pain.
A Writer's Secret Life
Susan Cheever
October 8, 2008

Historical Examples of lateness

She was evidently engaged, despite the lateness of the hour, in mixing bread.
The Inn at the Red Oak
Latta Griswold
He at once arose to go, apologizing for the lateness of his visit.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
Mrs. McVeigh counted the strokes and exclaimed at the lateness.
The Bondwoman
Marah Ellis Ryan
Policemen watched me, but the lateness of the hour made no difference to me.
The Continental Monthly, Vol. 5, No. 5, May, 1864
Various
The lateness of the season intensified the deserted look of rural France.
The False Chevalier
William Douw Lighthall

British Dictionary definitions for lateness

late

adjective

occurring or arriving after the correct or expected timethe train was late
(prenominal) occurring, scheduled for, or being at a relatively advanced timea late marriage
(prenominal) towards or near the endthe late evening
at an advanced time in the evening or at nightit was late
(prenominal) occurring or being just previous to the present timehis late remarks on industry
(prenominal) having died, esp recentlymy late grandfather
(prenominal) just preceding the present or existing person or thing; formerthe late manager of this firm
of late recently; lately

adverb

after the correct or expected timehe arrived late
at a relatively advanced ageshe married late
recently; latelyas late as yesterday he was selling books
late hours rising and going to bed later than is usual
late in the day
1. at a late or advanced stage
2. too late

Derived Formslateness, noun

Word Origin for late

Old English læt; related to Old Norse latr, Gothic lats

usage

Since late can mean deceased, many people think it is better to avoid using this word to refer to the person who held a post or position before its present holder: the previous (not the late) editor of The Times

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

Word Origin and History for lateness

late

adj.

Old English læt "occurring after the customary or expected time," originally "slow, sluggish," from Proto-Germanic *lata- (cf. Old Norse latr "sluggish, lazy," Middle Dutch, Old Saxon lat, German laß "idle, weary," Gothic lats "weary, sluggish, lazy," latjan "to hinder"), from PIE *led- "slow, weary" (cf. Latin lassus "faint, weary, languid, exhausted," Greek ledein "to be weary"), from root *le- "to let go, slacken" (see let (v.)).

The sense of "deceased" (as in the late Mrs. Smith) is from late 15c., from an adverbial sense of "recently." Of women's menstrual periods, attested colloquially from 1962. Related: Lateness. As an adverb, from Old English late.

Idioms and Phrases with lateness

late

In addition to the idioms beginning with late

late in life
late in the day

also see:

at the latest
better late than never
Johnny-come-lately
keep late hours
of late
the latest
too little, too late

Also see underlater.