tardy

[tahr-dee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tardy ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, tar·di·er, tar·di·est.

late; behind time; not on time: How tardy were you today?

moving or acting slowly; slow; sluggish.

delaying through reluctance.

Origin of tardy

1475–85; earlier tardive, tardif < Old French < Vulgar Latin *tardīvus, equivalent to Latin tard(us) slow + -īvus -ive

Related formstar·di·ly, adverbtar·di·ness, noun

Synonyms for tardy

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tardy ON THESAURUS.COM

1. slack. 3. dilatory.

Antonyms for tardy

1. prompt.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for tardy

overdue, sluggish, delayed, belated, delinquent, backward, dilatory, jammed, laggard, retarded, slack, slow, behindhand, dawdling, loitering, procrastinating, unpunctual

Examples from the Web for tardy

Historical Examples of tardy

"Tardy obedience is of the house of mutiny," I said sternly.
To Have and To Hold
Mary Johnston
Tardy recollection that she was altogether too heavy for comfort brought her to her feet.
Marjorie Dean College Freshman
Pauline Lester
Tardy is applied to that which is behind the proper or desired time, especially in doing a work or arriving at a place.
English Synonyms and Antonyms
James Champlin Fernald
Tardy restitution given to a long-suffering people; late righting of an ancient wrong!
Vacation days in Greece
Rufus B. Richardson
Tardy employees approached their work joyously, not stealthily, as is the normal custom of such miscreants.
The Triumph of Virginia Dale
John Francis, Jr.

British Dictionary definitions for tardy

tardy

adjective -dier or -diest

occurring later than expectedtardy retribution

slow in progress, growth, etca tardy reader

Derived Formstardily, adverbtardiness, noun

Word Origin for tardy

C15: from Old French tardif, from Latin tardus slow

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 tardy

adj.

late 14c. (implied in tardity), from Old French tardif (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *tardivus, from Latin tardus "slow, sluggish, dull, stupid," of unknown origin. Related: Tardily; tardiness.