tardiness
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of tardiness
Explanation
Tardiness is the quality of being late. When people don't show up on time, they're guilty of tardiness. When you're late for something, you're tardy, so tardiness refers to the habit of being late. Because of their tardiness, some people almost never arrive at work, school, or other places when they're expected. Tardiness is very annoying for the people waiting for the tardy person, and too much tardiness at work could get you fired. Tardiness comes from the Latin word tardus, "slow, sluggish, dull, or stupid."
Vocabulary lists containing tardiness
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 4
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The Losers Club
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Homeless Bird
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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.
But handwashing is done in plastic buckets -- a sign of the tardiness of the response to an outbreak many fear could be among the worst in the virus's history.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
When Higgo finished his round at about 12:45 local time, he would have been tied at the top of the leaderboard with fellow South African Aldrich Potgieter had he not been punished for his tardiness.
From BBC • May 14, 2026
She was late so often for school that administrators said she might have to repeat some classes and asked for a doctor’s note to explain the tardiness.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
Back in January, two attendees of a Madonna concert in Brooklyn filed a lawsuit against the 65-year-old pop star, claiming false advertisement and breach of contract due to her tardiness.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2024
When Mr. Das scolded Mala for her tardiness, Mala only laughed.
From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan
Definitions 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.
