as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
the homeowner is claiming that local firefighters were dilatory in responding to the call
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Recent Examples of dilatory
And some parents-to-be, either superstitious or simply dilatory, hesitate to purchase baby items far in advance.
—
New York Times, 29 Dec. 2021
What makes this dilatory pace unfathomable is that Democrats know the disastrous implications of the loss of a single Senate seat in the midst of a legislative battle.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 Oct. 2021
Near the end of the meeting on Tuesday, Allard stopped testimony by raising a point of information and asking a series of procedural questions, a move LaFrance said was dilatory.
—Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Oct. 2021
State and local governments have been even more dilatory.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 7 Aug. 2021
See All Example Sentences for dilatory
New York Times, 29 Dec. 2021
What makes this dilatory pace unfathomable is that Democrats know the disastrous implications of the loss of a single Senate seat in the midst of a legislative battle.
—Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 Oct. 2021
Near the end of the meeting on Tuesday, Allard stopped testimony by raising a point of information and asking a series of procedural questions, a move LaFrance said was dilatory.
—Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Oct. 2021
State and local governments have been even more dilatory.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 7 Aug. 2021
See All Example Sentences for dilatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dilatory
Adjective
-
The leisurely trips meander along the Snake River, near Grand Teton National Park, for several hours.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
-
Once a working farm in the time of the gold rush, since 1962 the Greenhorn has been a place where the day is taken at a leisurely pace, where visitors soak in the 600 acres that abuts to 500,000 more acres of public land.—
Jenny Peters,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
During the prelims in Tokyo, Seville had a concerning slow reaction to the starting gun.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Parisian servers may have an undeserved reputation for being slow, but instead of complaining or searching for faster service elsewhere, settle in with a book or newspaper.—
Lane Nieset,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dilatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dilatory. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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