adjective
-
occurring later than expected
tardy retribution
-
slow in progress, growth, etc
a tardy reader
Other Word Forms
- tardily adverb
- tardiness noun
Etymology
Origin of tardy
First recorded in 1475–85; earlier tardive, tardif, from Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin tardīvus, equivalent to Latin tard(us) “slow” + -īvus adjective suffix; -ive
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.
The latest, if tardy, look at the labor market wasn’t so bad at first glance.
From MarketWatch
The latest, if tardy, look at the labor market wasn’t so bad at first glance.
From MarketWatch
Douglass noted the paradox: For abolitionists Lincoln seemed “tardy, cold, dull, and indifferent,” yet by the measure of public sentiment he was obliged to weigh, Lincoln proved “swift, zealous, radical, and determined.”
In October 2013, the inflation and employment reports for the prior month were also tardy by nearly two weeks because of a 16-day government shutdown.
"I'm a little tardy with the paper work," he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.
From BBC
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.
