I. ˈtärdē, ˈtȧd-, -di adjective
( -er/-est )
Etymology: alteration (influenced by -y, adjective suffix) of earlier tardif, from Middle French, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin tardivus, from Latin tardus slow + -ivus -ive; probably akin to Greek terēn soft, tender — more at tender
1.
a. : moving with slow pace, motion, or progress : sluggish
she could not wait for the tardy operations of her ambassadress — W.M.Thackeray
where the vulgar dialects were tardiest in taking distinctive form — H.O.Taylor
ten years is a long … courtship, and she summons courage to spur her tardy swain — Seamus Kelly
b. : acting, occurring, or developing after the expected, hoped for, or proper time : delayed, dilatory , late
is often an hour tardy at school
tardy in recognizing that the barbiturates are just as dangerous as the opiates — D.W.Maurer & V.H.Vogel
the intellectuals were somewhat tardy … what they discovered was what the public everywhere had long known — John Mason Brown
2. obsolete : off guard : unprepared , remiss
Synonyms:
late , behindhand , overdue : tardy applies to failure to arrive at a time set, sometimes through lack of punctuality, negligence, or tendency to dawdle, sometimes through unavoidable delay
tardy arrivals at the play slowing down the first act
a number of tardy children rebuked by the principal
late centers attention on the fact of not arriving on time; it may or may not imply blame
late for school
persons coming late were seated in the balcony
docked for being late
behindhand applies to the situation of persons who have fallen into arrears or whose development, progress or action is slower than normal
behindhand in his mortgage payments
in a big house … one is always behindhand. The days aren't long enough — George Moore
overdue may refer to what has been due and left unpaid or undone, to what has been expected or scheduled but lacks arrival or completion, or to what might logically or suitably have occurred or appeared a long time before
an overdue bill
an overdue library book
small chance of search planes even though we were a week overdue — L.A.Viereck
the valuable work of this branch of chemistry received long overdue recognition — J.H.Kuney
legislative reforms are long overdue
II. adverb
archaic : tardily
too swift arrives as tardy as too slow — Shakespeare
III. ˈtärdē, ˈtȧd-, -di noun
( -es )
Etymology: tardy , adjective
: an instance of being tardy (as for class)