1
as in leisurely
moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed
thus far progress on the project has been tardy
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in delayed
not arriving, occurring, or settled at the due, usual, or proper time
explained that I was tardy because my car had broken down on the way to work
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tardy
And speaking of interesting postgame tactics, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa called out teammates for not attending players-only meetings and for being generally tardy.
—
Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
When the players meet up for their weekly meal on Thursdays, Jones is always tardy.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
The North College Hill City School District said an average of 120 high schoolers are arriving tardy.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
And then this girl, who ran to school on Wednesday in excitement and to avoid a tardy slip, realizes the shooter has taken something from her.
—Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tardy
Chris Bumbaca, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
When the players meet up for their weekly meal on Thursdays, Jones is always tardy.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
The North College Hill City School District said an average of 120 high schoolers are arriving tardy.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
And then this girl, who ran to school on Wednesday in excitement and to avoid a tardy slip, realizes the shooter has taken something from her.
—Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tardy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tardy
Adjective
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Fortunately, there's usually plenty of pleasant autumn days after the first frost to tackle the remaining fall gardening tasks at a more leisurely rate.—
Andy Wilcox,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Nov. 2025
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During November, coastal towns transform into quieter versions of themselves, offering a season for birdwatching, leisurely walks, or festivals with good music and food.—
Gabi De la Rosa,
Southern Living,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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And when sunrise was artificially delayed by three hours, the rate of the finches' singing intensified and commenced sooner compared with non-delayed sunrises.—
Michele Laufik,
Martha Stewart,
31 Dec. 2025
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Identity data from incidents like this is frequently reused later for delayed fraud.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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Hoover finished 319 yards on 34-of-50 passing, but his two turnovers were critical mistakes that led to TCU’s slow start in the first half.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Nov. 2025
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When visiting the exhibit, plan on taking your time to make the most of it, or what the American Federation of Arts calls slow looking.—
Susan B. Barnes,
Southern Living,
9 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 prompted unified Western sanctions, massive military aid, and rhetorical solidarity, but by late 2025, strategic divergences had widened amid battlefield stalemates, economic fatigue, and diplomatic initiatives.—
Daniel Ross Goodman,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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Ahmad Moten was fortunate not to be called for what was clearly a late hit.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Reporting meant hours of conversation in the car; room for asking the same questions over and over; the gradual diminishment of one’s embarrassment about being ignorant or uncertain; a dilatory attitude of quiet listening and watching; the possibility of misunderstandings resolved.—
Joshua Rothman,
The New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2025
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He can’t be blamed for the agency’s dilatory response to problems at the plant.—
The Editorial Board,
WSJ,
25 May 2022
Adjective
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A lot more borrowers are missing their payments, as well; nearly 10% of all student debt was reported as 90 days delinquent, or more.—
Elizabeth Schulze,
ABC News,
5 Nov. 2025
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Both of these fanciful descriptions evoke qualities that, at the dawn of my own delinquent years of exile, must have resonated.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Layer on infrastructure costs, amortization, new storage mandates, refinery retrofits for changing crude blends and the lagging effects of the LCFS credit.—
Michael Mische,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Sep. 2025
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Metrics That Predict, Not Report The lagging nature of HR’s metrics compounds the problem.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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China, meanwhile, is living with the long shadow of its one-child policy, which was eased to a two-child rule in 2016 and then to a three-child policy in 2021 in a belated push to boost births.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
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Joy speaks at length about growing up in a culturally sophisticated yet oppressive family and holding her artistic temperament in check, before achieving a belated liberation.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tardy. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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