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
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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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From sunset yoga and a world-class spa to leisurely strolls under the live oaks and days spent by the pool, activities at the 20,000-acre resort are numerous—and relaxing.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
31 Jan. 2026
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Most of the money engages the leisurely judgment of the bettors, who have all day to survey the odds or the records of the starting pitchers, or to apply their systems.—
Sean Williams,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Some common reasons for delayed deliveries include bad weather, heavy traffic, high delivery demand during holidays, customs delays for international packages and operational problems like vehicle breakdowns, Amazon said online.—
Josh Kelly,
Oklahoman,
26 Jan. 2026
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The series starring Morris Chestnut was initially held back for another midseason run on Sundays before being summoned to the fall schedule to fill in for the delayed CIA, landing behind FBI on Mondays.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some folks who were moving a little slow, some folks wanted to dilute the Canadiana or the Big C Canadian of it.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In practice, the process is slow, burdensome, and uncertain.—
James Broughel,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
What began in Tehran late December in response to the collapse in currency and economic conditions quickly took on a political character -- with crowds on the streets openly calling for regime change.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
27 Jan. 2026
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In fact, afternoon highs are forecast to stay below freezing, making this an unusually persistent cold spell for late January.—
Justin Lewis,
CBS News,
27 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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In recent months, lenders have seized multiple apartment buildings to satisfy delinquent or failing loans.—
George Avalos,
Mercury News,
23 Jan. 2026
-
All this tumult has added to the unruly behavior exhibited by the three delinquent Flynn daughters, ages twelve, fifteen, and seventeen.—
Hannah Gold,
New Yorker,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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The lagging percentage of women film directors last year is a clear sign that the industry is going backward, said Kirsten Schaffer, chief executive of WIF, which advocates for women in Hollywood.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Jan. 2026
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The United States typically experiences the lagging edge of Latin American displacement waves.—
Newsweek Staff,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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That’s true historically — Netflix ran a 10K on streaming before Disney could lace up its sneakers, prompting a mad belated frenzy from the Burbank firm to get its own service up and running more than a decade later, in 2019.—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Dec. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Tardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tardy. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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