tardy

Meanings

1. 1adjectivecomparableformal

   Late, arriving or doing something after the expected or proper time.

   Grammar: Used after a linking verb or before a noun: he was tardy; a tardy reply.

   Patterns

   • tardy for something
   • tardy in doing something

   He was tardy for the meeting and missed the first slide.

   Their tardy reply caused a week of delay.

   Students who are tardy more than three times lose points.

2. 2adjectivecomparableold-fashioned

   Slow to move or act, often because of unwillingness or neglect.

   Grammar: Describes people or actions: a tardy response.

   Patterns

   • tardy in something

   The council was tardy in repairing the road.

   The tardy waiter ignored our table for ten minutes.

   Her tardy thanks arrived months later.

Word forms

Common combinations

tardy arrival

His tardy arrival annoyed the host.

tardy response

The company apologized for its tardy response.

tardy slip

The student handed in a tardy slip to the office.

mark someone tardy

The teacher marked him tardy for coming in at nine.

tardy in paying

The client was tardy in paying the invoice.

Synonyms and how they differ

late

Late is the everyday word and works in all situations, while tardy sounds formal or school-like.

belated

Belated suggests something arrives long after it should, as in belated birthday wishes.

overdue

Overdue describes something that should already have happened or been paid, usually a bill or a book.

slow

Slow describes speed, while tardy is about missing a time deadline.

Opposites

Word family

tardiness noun

the habit or fact of being late

tardily adverb

in a late or slow way

retard verb

to slow the progress of something, a formal use

Commonly confused: tardy or tarry?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “tardy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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