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Definitions

tardy

[tahr-dee] / ˈtɑr di /
ADJECTIVE
late
Synonyms
STRONGEST
belated delayed delinquent overdue sluggish
WEAK
backward behindhand dawdling detained dilatory held up hung up in a bind jammed laggard loitering not arrived not done procrastinating slack slow strapped for time too late unpunctual
Antonyms
STRONGEST
early
WEAK
on time prompt punctual ready

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She told her teachers that she was still going to be tardy, and besides, she liked the exercise.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

The latest, if tardy, look at the labor market wasn’t so bad at first glance.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 20, 2025

In the blurb to the exhibition, Wintour writes that she has “probably spent a year of my life waiting for fashion shows, which are famously tardy, to begin”.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2024

This is what happens when you’re tardy to practice.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 6, 2024

A pair of economists who heard of this dilemma—it turned out to be a rather common one—offered a solution: fine the tardy parents.

From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt

From Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.