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 of tardy

Adjective

• leisurely
• slow
• dilatory
• 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

Gabby Windey says Peacock is tardy on the prize money, and Rob Rausch agrees. —Bethy Squires, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2026

These issues are far more pronounced for young professionals who don’t have the luxury or goodwill to be habitually tardy to work. —Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 11 Mar. 2026

But Bob is historically tardy and his research and prep work is historically always pretty lacking. —Outside Online, 25 Feb. 2026

Students who missed a class while participating were cited as being absent or tardy, U-46 officials said. —Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2026

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