belatedly

adverb

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

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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 While researchers belatedly debunked many of those claims, vaccine makers wound up on the hook for significant payouts to litigants. — Joel Dodge, STAT, 14 Oct. 2026 That oversight was belatedly corrected during a 2010 solo museum show at El Museo del Barrio. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026 When that version was belatedly administered to native English speakers, nearly half failed, said Adela Santa Cruz, who leads the Office of English Language Acquisition, which oversees the test. — Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 16 Sep. 2026 Realized belatedly that there are special prizes up for grabs in the Letterboxd League? — Vulture Editors, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026 Pablo belatedly rose from the turf and looked towards the heavens. — Roshane Thomas, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 The last thylacine living in captivity died from exposure in 1936 at the Beaumaris Zoo in Hobart, Tasmania — shortly after the Tasmanian government belatedly granted the species protected status. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 2 Sep. 2026 After belatedly learning of Bu’s falsification, her family earlier this month posted her photos online and appealed for information about her whereabouts, prompting extensive media coverage of her case. — Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026 These are women who put themselves in danger, live in denial, and only belatedly reckon with the cost of their choices. — Anne E. Fernald, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belatedly
  1. later
  2. late
  3. eventually
  4. slowly
Adverb
  • A couple years later, on the verge of being demolished and replaced by several new McMansions, fund manager and seasonal Watch Hill resident Charles Royce stepped in to salvage its history.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The team has dipped to a losing record for the first time all season since Week 1 and now has allowed the 3-4 Falcons a direct path to sole ownership of the NFC South later this weekend.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of later
Adverb
  • Cocoa prices have dropped in the last year, but relief is coming too late to help prices for this Halloween, said David Branch, sector manager at Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute.
    — Aoife Walsh, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026
  • The Wizards did cut the lead to 3 points late, but free throws and rebounding ultimately clinched the win for Charlotte, who improved to 3-1 on the season.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of late
Adverb
  • More efficient micro-LED transmitters could eventually help data centers increase communication speeds without relying exclusively on power-hungry lasers.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
  • That eventually led to a call in which the cinematographer offered to shoot the film and connected him with a producer, who began approaching financiers.
    — Kambole Campbell, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of eventually
Adverb
  • The nearly minute-long video shows the vehicle slowly pulling into the driveway.
    — Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Talk early, revisit often, and be willing to go slowly or repeat yourself.
    — Christina Wing, Fortune, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of slowly

Browse Nearby Words

belated
belatedly
belatedness
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Cite this Entry

“Belatedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belatedly. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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