as in tardiness
the quality or state of being late
we were unable to get into the movie due to our lateness in arriving
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Recent Examples of lateness
The scorecard will consist of things like on-time, arrival, breakdowns, latenesses and vintage of the bus, the deputy chancellor said.
—
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
At the George offices, Berman loses it once and for all at John’s lateness, his indifference to the daily operations of the magazine, and his hardheaded refusal to consider the TV show.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Staff who arrive late will be marked with an excused lateness, according to the district.
—Laura Fay, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
How must Yves Bissouma, who was left out of the squad for August’s UEFA Super Cup penalty shootout defeat to Paris-Saint Germain due to persistent lateness, feel watching his team-mate avoid facing the consequences?
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Feldman provides an exceptional guide to a culture that produced castrati only to discard them, and to the haunted sense of too-lateness that left Moreschi outside his own life.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert told Fox News Digital that chronic lateness often stems from a combination of psychological patterns and neurobiological factors that people may not realize are influencing them.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
The commenter went on to note that being occasionally late is one thing, but chronic lateness at someone else’s expense crosses a line.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
At the George offices, Berman loses it once and for all at John’s lateness, his indifference to the daily operations of the magazine, and his hardheaded refusal to consider the TV show.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
Staff who arrive late will be marked with an excused lateness, according to the district.
—Laura Fay, CBS News, 25 Feb. 2026
How must Yves Bissouma, who was left out of the squad for August’s UEFA Super Cup penalty shootout defeat to Paris-Saint Germain due to persistent lateness, feel watching his team-mate avoid facing the consequences?
—Jay Harris, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Feldman provides an exceptional guide to a culture that produced castrati only to discard them, and to the haunted sense of too-lateness that left Moreschi outside his own life.
—Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
Psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert told Fox News Digital that chronic lateness often stems from a combination of psychological patterns and neurobiological factors that people may not realize are influencing them.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 14 Dec. 2025
The commenter went on to note that being occasionally late is one thing, but chronic lateness at someone else’s expense crosses a line.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 19 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lateness
tardiness
Noun
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Such an occurrence is only startling at Florida because the previous man who stood behind that podium had a habit of tardiness.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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Your partner’s frustration about your tardiness becomes, in your mind, an indictment of your character.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lateness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lateness. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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