Definition of belated
1 : delayed beyond the usual time One of the men was belated and did not join us at all. — William Pittenger
2 : existing or appearing past the normal or proper time a belated birthday card She received belated recognition for her work.
belatedly
adverbbelatedness
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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Examples of belated in a Sentence
She received belated recognition for her scientific discovery.
Recent Examples of belated from the Web
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Here's our celebrity announcements: Happy (belated) birthday to Molly Riberto and also to Reese Kaktis, who's turning 3, from their Aunt Jamie, Uncle Jeff, and Jack Luke and Ellie.
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Milena Grenfell-Baines, one of those saved, said Saturday the monument was a belated expression of thanks.
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The order was a belated recognition of what had been going on for months: an orgy of looting by the various paramilitary groups that work alongside the Syrian Army, and even by elements of the army itself.
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Reuters’ belated copycat article on the Moscow arcade game museum is the second best thing to ever appear on the internet.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'belated'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Long ago, there was a verb "belate," which meant "to make late." From the beginning, "belate" tended to mostly turn up in the form of its past participle "belated." Eventually, "belate" itself fell out of use, leaving behind "belated" as an adjective that preserved the original notion of delay. As you may have guessed, "belate" and its descendant "belated" derive from the adjective "late"; "belate" was formed by simply combining the prefix be- ("to cause to be") with "late."
Origin and Etymology of belated
past participle of belate (to make late)
BELATED Defined for English Language Learners
belated
playDefinition of belated for English Language Learners
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: happening or coming very late or too late
BELATED Defined for Kids
belated
playDefinition of belated for Students
: happening or coming very late or too late belated birthday wishes
belatedly
adverbLearn More about belated
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See words that rhyme with belated Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for belated Spanish Central: Translation of belated Nglish: Translation of belated for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of belated for Arabic speakers
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