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
After Daniil Medvedev’s comprehensive and belatedly controversial win over Jack Draper in their quarterfinal, Carlos Alcaraz came out to face Cameron Norrie, one of the few players outside of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic who has troubled him the past few years.
—
Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
The Healey administration and the Legislature have belatedly taken notice of this alarming trend.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Imagine meeting the love of your life, entering a relationship with them, and then belatedly realizing your literal body rejects the union.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 6 Mar. 2026
After Carter scored on the Magic's second offensive rebound of their final possession, Luka Doncic belatedly got the ball to James, whose desperation shot didn't go.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
News outlets are belatedly reporting that the Islamic Republic has used the cover of a sustained media blackout to carry out the most extensive repression in its history.
—Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The audit was ordered last year after the Blue Hills Civic Association belatedly reported that $300,000 in state money disappeared in 2024 through a fraudulent bank transfer.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
Credit to the administration for realizing – belatedly – that blindly putting tariffs on food that cannot grow here was bad policy, but there needs to be a deeper rollback.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
There’s a pleasing sense of closure in knowing the trio’s creative woes were belatedly resolved.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
The Healey administration and the Legislature have belatedly taken notice of this alarming trend.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Imagine meeting the love of your life, entering a relationship with them, and then belatedly realizing your literal body rejects the union.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 6 Mar. 2026
After Carter scored on the Magic's second offensive rebound of their final possession, Luka Doncic belatedly got the ball to James, whose desperation shot didn't go.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
News outlets are belatedly reporting that the Islamic Republic has used the cover of a sustained media blackout to carry out the most extensive repression in its history.
—Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The audit was ordered last year after the Blue Hills Civic Association belatedly reported that $300,000 in state money disappeared in 2024 through a fraudulent bank transfer.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
Credit to the administration for realizing – belatedly – that blindly putting tariffs on food that cannot grow here was bad policy, but there needs to be a deeper rollback.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
There’s a pleasing sense of closure in knowing the trio’s creative woes were belatedly resolved.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belatedly
Adverb
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Jurors later recommended an additional $3 million in punitive damages after deciding the companies acted with malice, oppression or fraud in harming children with their platforms.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Sansom resigned, and the charges were later dropped.—
Alexandra Glorioso,
Miami Herald,
26 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Ball, who has been on a heater of late, set the tone early by showing off his full bag of tricks — shooting 3s off one foot, throwing no-look dimes and outleaping opponents for rebounds, seemingly toying with the Kings at times.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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Grapevine controll the pace of the game for most of the contest, but Joshua (18-5-3) did get a chance late when Hazel Curs pushed a pass to Hannah Day for a goal in the final minute.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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The brothers, who used to work in the insurance industry, then started approaching owners to purchase the warehouses in 2016, eventually acquiring about 10 buildings.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
25 Mar. 2026
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But Apple shut down Dark Sky in 2023, prompting an online outcry, and Grossman eventually left out of frustration with Apple’s sluggish corporate schedule of annual software updates.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
25 Mar. 2026
Adverb
-
Moving slowly demands presence.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The official was one of three who compared their recent experience at NRC to being in a pot of slowly boiling water.—
Avi Asher-Schapiro,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belatedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belatedly. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
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