1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

tardy

adjective

ˈtär-dē How to pronounce tardy (audio)
Definition of tardynext
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

Relevance

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tardy During one confessional, the model gave Zverev grief for always being tardy. — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 7 June 2026 And the chronically tardy Giannis Antetokounmpo leaks his desire to be traded to ESPN, while maintaining plausible deniability. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 16 May 2026 By the main course, most tardy guests have managed to arrive, but not all. — Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 4 May 2026 When Noble reopened after the pandemic abated, tardy rates soared, staff satisfaction plummeted, and violence on campus, previously rare, spiked. — Steven F. Wilson, The Atlantic, 24 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for tardy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tardy
  1. leisurely
  2. delayed
  3. slow
  4. late
  5. dilatory
  6. delinquent
  7. lagging
  8. belated
Adjective
  • Before a night out filling your belly with local grub in the Old Port (which is a leisurely 20 minutes away on foot), hit the Five of Clubs bar for a seasonal drink like the cantaloupe- and lemon-laced Melancholia, along with half a dozen oysters.
    — Lori Keong, Architectural Digest, 7 Sep. 2026
  • In lower Manhattan and beyond — caught by paparazzi — he can be seen out and about in big sunglasses and tiny shorts, taking leisurely strolls with his fiancée, Zoë Kravitz.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of leisurely
Adjective
  • The delayed flight was one of two crises that Haitian officials faced on Thursday with deportees being returned from the United States.
    — Gérard Maxineau, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026
  • After Tuesday’s practice, Purdy detailed how a delayed throw to Luke Farrell got intercepted by linebacker Del-Shawn Phillips off near the goal line.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of delayed
Adjective
  • In fact, starting too early often has more downsides than taking it slow.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 5 Sep. 2026
  • But so far, the economy has grown at roughly 2% annually, slower than the gains during the Biden administration.
    — Josh Boak, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of slow
Adjective
  • The court ruled late Monday in an emergency order that the restrictions would most likely lose in court, at least for this year's election.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Saccharide is a carbohydrate made of sugars, and the Aries season falls between late March and early April.
    — Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of late
Adjective
  • If the trial court decides that the movant was simply dilatory or lazy, the trial court could rightly decide that good cause does not exist to allow the late filing of the special motion.
    — Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
  • Even when progress is made—like 2017’s commitment to allow American credit cards into China—Beijing is dilatory on execution.
    — Charlie Campbell, Time, 7 May 2026
Definition of dilatory
Adjective
  • The owner is delinquent on paying property taxes, county records show.
    — Fedor Zarkhin, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Lenders often classify accounts 90+ days late as seriously delinquent, which causes many models to classify you as high risk.
    — Ryley Amond, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of delinquent
Adjective
  • Every initiative should identify its operational leading indicator, financial lagging indicator, value owner and realization mechanism.
    — Todd Bernson, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Just last month, Microsoft began layoffs of 20% of its Xbox employees as part of a sweeping reorganization to revive the company’s lagging games division.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of lagging
Adjective
  • With the belated realization that the Chinese had indeed overtaken them in the burgeoning electric-vehicle business, the world’s other car-makers descended into doom and gloom.
    — Jamie Kitman, Air Mail, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Councilman Izzy Patoka alluded to the financial hole that the county dug for itself by its belated adoption of development impact fees and excise taxes in 2019.
    — David Plymyer, Baltimore Sun, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of belated

Browse Nearby Words

tardiness
tardy
target
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tardy. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of churlish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All