dilatory

adjective

dil·​a·​to·​ry ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce dilatory (audio)
1
: tending or intended to cause delay
dilatory tactics
2
: characterized by procrastination : tardy
dilatory in paying bills
dilatorily adverb
dilatoriness noun

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When should you use dilatory?

“Slow down, you move too fast / You got to make the morning last / Just kicking down the cobblestones / Looking for fun and feelin'…” dilatory? We can’t say Paul Simon was wrong to choose groovy to end that verse of “The 59th Street Bridge Song” but dilatory would have also made sense. You see, if procrastination is your style, dilatory is the word for you. It’s been describing things that cause delay since at least the 15th century, and its ancestors were hanging around with similar meanings long before that. The word's source is dilatus, a form of the multifaceted Latin verb differre, meaning "to carry away in varying directions, spread abroad, postpone, delay, be unlike or distinct." That verb is also an ancestor of the words different, differ, and defer—a fact we think is pretty groovy.

Examples of dilatory in a Sentence

the homeowner is claiming that local firefighters were dilatory in responding to the call
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
At the Washington Department of Ecology, the state’s primary Hanford watchdog, people have had to stretch their imaginations to accommodate Hanford’s dilatory progress, said Cheryl Whalen, the agency’s cleanup section manager. Valerie Brown, Discover Magazine, 28 Sep. 2018 He can’t be blamed for the agency’s dilatory response to problems at the plant. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 25 May 2022 Members of Congress from both parties are raising tough questions about this dilatory pace. William A. Galston, WSJ, 24 May 2022 Cleage’s dilatory method, unfortunately, nudges her to find melodramatic solutions to the stasis. Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2022 See all Example Sentences for dilatory 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French dilatorie, Late Latin dilatorius, from Latin differre (past participle dilatus) to postpone, differ — more at differ, tolerate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dilatory was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near dilatory

Cite this Entry

“Dilatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dilatory. Accessed 12 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

dilatory

adjective
dil·​a·​to·​ry ˈdil-ə-ˌtōr-ē How to pronounce dilatory (audio)
-ˌtȯr-
1
: tending or intended to cause delay
dilatory tactics
2
: tending to be late : tardy
dilatory in paying her bills
dilatorily adverb
dilatoriness noun

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