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And now that the Biden-era law requiring airlines to compensate passengers for extensive flight delays has been withdrawn, tardy departures can be even more frustrating.
—
Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2025
McDaniel has said players have not been tardy to regular meetings involving coaches — something that was a problem last season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for tardy
Lydia Price, Travel + Leisure, 15 Dec. 2025
McDaniel has said players have not been tardy to regular meetings involving coaches — something that was a problem last season.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for tardy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tardy
Adjective
-
With that much space, visitors and locals alike have plenty of room for water sports, leisurely beach days, and sightseeing.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
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What to see today Visitors have their choice of hiking to the top of Natural Bridge or taking a leisurely ride on a sky lift over the trees and to the top.—
Maggie Menderski,
Louisville Courier Journal,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Fashion firms often operate on slim margins, and these can quickly erode due to late receipts, misaligned inventory allocation and delayed markdowns.—
SJ Studio,
Sourcing Journal,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Brave jumpers leaped into Evergreen Lake on March 1, or meteorological spring, as the delayed Evergreen Lake Plunge took place.—
CBSColorado.com Staff,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Council members LaWana Slack-Mayfield, Malcolm Graham and Joi Mayo, whose west Charlotte District 3 contains most of the affected part of I-77, pressed the agency on its slow responses to their questions, asked in November, shortly after NCDOT released its maps for the first time.—
Nick Sullivan,
Charlotte Observer,
6 Mar. 2026
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The jokes and musical bits are amusing but not groundbreaking, and the story is too light and slow to have a real impact.—
Rachel Simon,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The second half would be as testy as the first half promised, with neither team leading by more than three points until a late 9-0 run from the Falcons gave them a 63-57 edge with 2 minutes remaining.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
10 Mar. 2026
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For spring 2026, the Moon Shoe gets a color palette cleanser—with pale pastel pink, creamy white, and dusty brown tones—departing from the first drop’s vintage athletic feel, spotted on everyone from Dua Lipa to Jacob Elordi, since late September.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Vogue,
10 Mar. 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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Instead, each statement is afflicted by a delinquent modifier.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 Feb. 2026
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In the Supreme Court Tuesday, the justices struggled mightily to figure out how such a small amount of delinquent tax money could have led to a foreclosure sale.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
25 Feb. 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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Middleton's visit to Leicester served as a belated celebration of Holi, the Hindu festival, which took place on Wednesday, March 4.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
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But Adams also deserves some belated credit (and don’t be shocked when his former colleagues toss him a GM of the Year vote or two).—
Sean McIndoe,
New York Times,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tardy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tardy. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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