as in later
after the due, usual, or proper time
she belatedly realized that it had been her friend's birthday the day before
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Recent Examples of belatedly
The Spanish Catholic hierarchy is belatedly reckoning with decades of abuse and cover-ups in the once-staunchly Catholic country.
—
ABC News, 6 June 2026
The Digest Feminist, self-taught, and belatedly recognized French artist Raymonde Arcier has died at 86.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 2 June 2026
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, however belatedly, implemented reforms that sped up rate reviews and let insurers use forward-looking catastrophe models to price policies.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
But Fulham’s season — and Marco Silva’s tenure — seems to have fizzled out, just as Newcastle have belatedly found some momentum with Eddie Howe finally able to field something close to his strongest XI.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 22 May 2026
That contrast was also manifest in the relative outcomes; the White House only belatedly announced deals for the sale of 200 Boeing jets and at least $17 billion of American agricultural products annually to China through 2028.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 May 2026
But apparently OpenAI has belatedly figured out which way the wind is blowing.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 19 May 2026
To begin the response this belatedly only lengthens the road to resolution.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Those left without jobs included more than 4,800 direct and indirect employees in South and Central Florida, according to a WARN notice the company belatedly filed with the state of Florida on May 4.
—David Lyons, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
ABC News, 6 June 2026
The Digest Feminist, self-taught, and belatedly recognized French artist Raymonde Arcier has died at 86.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 2 June 2026
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, however belatedly, implemented reforms that sped up rate reviews and let insurers use forward-looking catastrophe models to price policies.
—The Editorial Board, Oc Register, 26 May 2026
But Fulham’s season — and Marco Silva’s tenure — seems to have fizzled out, just as Newcastle have belatedly found some momentum with Eddie Howe finally able to field something close to his strongest XI.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 22 May 2026
That contrast was also manifest in the relative outcomes; the White House only belatedly announced deals for the sale of 200 Boeing jets and at least $17 billion of American agricultural products annually to China through 2028.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 20 May 2026
But apparently OpenAI has belatedly figured out which way the wind is blowing.
—Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 19 May 2026
To begin the response this belatedly only lengthens the road to resolution.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 19 May 2026
Those left without jobs included more than 4,800 direct and indirect employees in South and Central Florida, according to a WARN notice the company belatedly filed with the state of Florida on May 4.
—David Lyons, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belatedly
Adverb
-
Seven decades later that number has climbed to seventy-three, while those in the richest nations have surpassed an average of over fourscore years, a number the Bible reserves for only the most vigorous among us.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Reynolds tied it again two minutes later, but NDA had a significant charge before the end of the quarter.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2026
Adverb
-
Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 Frenchman whose turnover late in Game 2 ended the Spurs’ hopes, didn’t make many mistakes Monday.—
Brian Mahoney,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Wembanyama, whose turnover late in Game 2 cost the Spurs dearly, didn’t make many mistakes Monday.—
Brian Mahoney,
Chicago Tribune,
9 June 2026
Adverb
-
Then, around 15,000 years ago, during a period of global cooling, the emergence of the Bering Land Bridge allowed elk to cross from eastern Siberia into westernmost Alaska, and eventually, into the rest of its historic North American range.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
-
With the light nearly gone — the UMass Dartmouth field doesn’t have lights — Callahan silenced the Raiders bats one more time and this eventually led to the decision to pause the game.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
Adverb
-
Yes votes for Measure ER, which only needs 50% of the vote plus one for approval, have slowly gained day after day as more ballots — and in particular, ballots from Election Day or later — were counted.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
10 June 2026
-
And then, slowly, something incredible unfolds.—
USA TODAY Network,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belatedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belatedly. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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