Synonyms of belatedly

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

• later
• late
• eventually
• slowly
• subsequently
• tardily
• thereafter
• afterward
• delinquently
• latterly
• sluggishly
• slow
• anon
• laggardly
• dilatorily
• pokily

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• early
• prematurely
• immediately
• promptly
• beforehand
• quickly
• rapidly
• precociously
• swiftly
• unseasonably
• punctually
• inopportunely
• speedily
• pronto
• snappily

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of belatedly

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

Now, a separate Chinese institution has — belatedly, some argue — acknowledged the death of another child related to gene-editing research. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 6 Aug. 2026

Haaland, 25, belatedly responded to the actor after Holland, 30, revealed during a July 13 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon that the soccer star ignored his Instagram DM. — Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026