as in later
after the due, usual, or proper time
she belatedly realized that it had been her friend's birthday the day before
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of belatedly
His future had been regularly discussed for 18 months before belatedly signing a new contract in April 2025 after fraught negotiations.
—
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 10 June 2026
That’s when Hilton renewed his earlier calls for Bianco to belatedly drop out of the race.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 9 June 2026
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
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
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 10 June 2026
That’s when Hilton renewed his earlier calls for Bianco to belatedly drop out of the race.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 9 June 2026
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
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
-
The medical examiner's office later determined the cause of death to be child abuse, including blunt force trauma, neglect, starvation and dehydration.—
Katie Houlis,
CBS News,
18 June 2026
-
And then, literally two days later was lockdown COVID.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
Adverb
-
At least 11 people dressed in black arrived at the facility late on Independence Day, including some wearing body armor and carrying firearms, the indictment reads.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
24 June 2026
-
The Philadelphia Phillies went into the top of the ninth inning down 8-6 to the Washington Nationals after Orion Kerkering gave up a three-run home run to blow the lead late in the game.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2026
Adverb
-
Panama's Cristian Martínez managed to save the ball from going out of bounds with a slide at the corner in a play that eventually reached Michael Murillo.—
Monica Alba,
NBC news,
24 June 2026
-
Arraez fouled a pitch off his right foot in the first inning, and after a third-inning single, he eventually got replaced in the fifth inning as Casey Schmitt moved from left field to second base.—
Cam Inman,
Mercury News,
24 June 2026
Adverb
-
Results arrive slowly, so patience matters more than most people expect.—
Malana VanTyler,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
-
Production will need to be restarted – slowly, over several weeks – to ensure crude reservoirs don’t collapse, requiring re-drilling and substantial repairs.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
24 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belatedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belatedly. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
