Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Occurring, arriving, acting, or done after the scheduled, expected, or usual time; late.
- adj. Moving slowly; sluggish.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Moving with a slow pace or motion; slow; sluggish.
- Late; dilatory; behindhand.
- Characterized by or proceeding from reluctance; unwilling to move or act; hanging back.
- Synonyms Dilatory, etc. (see slow), slack, procrastinating.
- To delay; retard; hinder.
Wiktionary
- adj. Late; overdue or delayed.
- adj. ineffectual; slow witted, slow to act, or dullard
- n. A piece of paper given to students who are late to class.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Moving with a slow pace or motion; slow; not swift.
- adj. Not being inseason; late; dilatory; -- opposed to
prompt . - adj. Unwary; unready.
- adj. Criminal; guilty.
- v. To make tardy.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. after the expected or usual time; delayed.
Etymologies
- Alteration of Middle English tardive, slow, from Old French tardif, from Vulgar Latin *tardīvus, from Latin tardus.
Examples
“Mr. Talbot's desire to be away was a surprise to him, for he was in difficulties how, even in that enormous hall, to dispose of all who claimed by right or by favour to witness what he called the tardy fulfilment of judgment.”
Unknown to History: a story of the captivity of Mary of Scotland
“In lots of cultures around the world, being tardy is NOT a sign of disrespect at all.”
“He spread them violently and with little preamble thrust himself into the closest of all connections, even hurting her a little, though she never could be called tardy in response, and she approved of this new brutality, at the outset anyway, as an appropriate sequel to her brush with dying.”
“The curses of the camel-drivers beating the animals; the cries of the hawkers who sold amulets against leprosy and the evil eye; the psalmody of the monks reciting verses of the Bible; the shrieking of the women who were prophesying; the shouting of the beggars singing old songs of the harem; the bleating of sheep; the braying of asses; the sailors calling tardy passengers; all these confused noises caused a deafening uproar, over which dominated the strident voices of the little naked negro boys, running about everywhere selling fresh dates.”
“We were kind of tardy with the hotel reservation stuff, and the governor's suites are all booked.”
“A GAO report recently called the Administration "tardy" even in securing radioactive materials in the United States.”
“The province's bursary payments had been "tardy" in the past, but this was the first year the university had not been paid, he said.”
“She said government alone was not responsible for combating the disease and she described the private sector's response as "tardy".”
“was reportedly late, extremely tardy, which is not exactly an innovation in the annals of rudeness.”
“The Medium: There were three -- a kind of tardy assent.”
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