tardy

1 of 2

adjective

tar·​dy ˈtär-dē 

tardier; tardiest

1

: moving slowly : sluggish

the tardy pace at which she was obliged to walk

—Charles Dickens

2

: delayed beyond the expected or proper time : late

a tardy arrival

tardy

2 of 2

noun

plural tardies

: an instance of being tardy (as to a class)

Synonyms

Adjective

• leisurely
• slow
• dilatory
• pokey
• lagging

Examples of tardy in a Sentence

Adjective

She was tardy to work.

They were tardy in filing the application.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

And then this girl, who ran to school on Wednesday in excitement and to avoid a tardy slip, realizes the shooter has taken something from her. —Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025

Tyreek Hill, who was reportedly tardy at times last season, has spoken of needing to do everything correctly and setting a good example. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2025

If a student attends school, but is later sent home by a school nurse, they will be counted as tardy, said Adkins. —Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 28 July 2025

Wiegman’s team selections have been questioned; her apparently tardy use of the substitutes bench was cited as the problem in journalists’ hastily deleted early drafts of match reports from the Sweden and Italy games. —Michael Cox, New York Times, 26 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

alteration of earlier tardif, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *tardivus, from Latin tardus

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1960, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tardy

• hardie
• lardy
• pardy
• foolhardy
• sephardi

Kids Definition

tardy

adjective

tar·​dy

ˈtärd-ē

tardier; tardiest

1

: moving slowly : sluggish

2

: not on time : late

tardily

ˈtärd-ə-lē

adverb

tardiness

ˈtärd-ē-nəs

noun