Synonyms of late

late 1 of 2

adjective

ˈlāt 

1

as in delayed

not arriving, occurring, or settled at the due, usual, or proper time

I ran as fast as I could, but was still late for class

Synonyms & Similar Words

• delayed
• belated
• behind
• delinquent
• tardy
• latish
• slow
• overdue
• postponed
• behindhand
• detained
• lagging
• dragging
• sluggish
• dilatory
• unhurried
• laggard
• poky
• dawdling
• dallying
• dillydallying

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• early
• premature
• untimely
• precocious
• timely
• opportune
• inopportune
• unseasonable
• prompt
• seasonable
• punctual

2

as in former

having been such at some previous time

the late musical director said he would never have allowed such behavior while he was in charge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• former
• old
• erstwhile
• other
• sometime
• past
• once
• onetime
• defunct
• whilom
• departed
• expired
• quondam
• bygone
• vanished
• gone
• extinct
• long-ago
• dead

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• present
• current
• contemporary
• ongoing
• future
• extant
• prospective
• present-day
• coming
• unborn

3

as in fallen

no longer living

our late granduncle remembered us in his will

Synonyms & Similar Words

• fallen
• dead
• deceased
• low
• departed
• asleep
• gone
• cold
• extinct
• dying
• demised
• defunct
• breathless
• lifeless
• bitten the dust
• fading
• moribund
• terminated
• finished
• lapsed
• stillborn
• inanimate
• insensate
• nonliving

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• quick
• live
• alive
• going
• breathing
• living
• active
• dynamic
• vital
• lively
• operative
• vibrant
• functioning
• animate
• animated
• thriving
• vivacious
• running

4

as in advanced

being far along in development

late impressionism gave rise to pointillism

Synonyms & Similar Words

• advanced
• higher
• evolved
• improved
• high
• developed
• progressive
• modern
• forward
• enhanced
• educated
• recent
• refined
• newest
• precocious
• new
• latest
• contemporary
• ripe
• now
• civilized
• current
• grown
• full-scale
• aged
• matured
• enlightened
• mature
• full-blown
• ripened
• novel
• perfected
• full-fledged
• present-day
• newfangled
• up-to-date
• ultramodern
• mod
• leading-edge
• cutting-edge
• new-fashioned
• supermodern
• space-age

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lower
• low
• primitive
• rudimentary
• backward
• early
• rude
• undeveloped
• green
• immature
• nonprogressive
• underdeveloped
• undersized
• unripe
• underweight
• savage
• uneducated
• past
• unripened
• uncivilized
• old
• embryonic
• primordial
• primeval
• germinal
• obsolete
• dated
• antiquated
• antique
• out-of-date
• old-fashioned
• hoary
• old-time
• antediluvian
• musty
• Neanderthal
• outworn
• fusty
• passé
• oldfangled

late

2 of 2

adverb

1

as in later

after the due, usual, or proper time

she has a habit of arriving late for everything

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in lately

not long ago

the actress, late of New York but now of Los Angeles, is being eagerly sought for film roles

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lately
• recently
• newly
• now
• just
• new
• only
• of late
• freshly
• latterly

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• early
• earlier
• before
• ago
• previously
• formerly
• anciently
• heretofore
• erstwhile
• hitherto

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective late contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of late are dead, deceased, defunct, and departed. While all these words mean "devoid of life," late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

In what contexts can dead take the place of late?

In some situations, the words dead and late are roughly equivalent. However, dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

How is deceased related to other words for late?

Deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. Deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

When is defunct a more appropriate choice than late?

The synonyms defunct and late are sometimes interchangeable, but defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

When could departed be used to replace late?

Although the words departed and late have much in common, departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of late

Adjective

The 500,000-square-foot facility took weeks to clean, with food removal and relocation of debris caused by the fire lasting until late August. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026

Already, though, Ropp is in post on his sophomore feature, Dedicated to Morris Burke, starring Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph as a widow who discovers that her late husband’s final novel is dedicated to a mysterious man instead of her. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026

Adverb

Although the antifascist left may have been vindicated by history, the widespread association of antifascism with Communism helps explain why Americans, including Roosevelt, came so late to the cause. — Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Hunter was acquired from the Rams, for Tutu Atwell, late in preseason. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing late

• of late