Definition of TARDY

tardy

Plural: tardies

Adjective Satellite

  • after the expected or usual time; delayed
    • "tardy children are sent to the principal"
    • "always tardy in making dental appointments"

Adj

  • Late; overdue or delayed.
  • Moving with a slow pace or motion; not swift.
  • Ineffectual; slow-witted, slow to act, or dull.
  • Unwary; unready (especially in the phrase take (someone) tardy).
  • Criminal; guilty.

Noun

  • An instance or act of being late or delayed.
  • A piece of paper given to students who are late to class.
  • An instance of a student's being marked as tardy by a teacher on the teacher's attendance sheet.

Verb

  • To make tardy.
  • To dawdle.

Adjective

  • Not on time; delayed or late.

Examples

  • He yawned, then raised a tardy hand over his mouth.
  • Her TARDY submission of a bingo cost her the Words With Friends game.
  • His tardy performance bordered on incompetence.
  • The game was delayed by one player’s TARDY arrival.
  • The teacher gave her a tardy because she did not come into the classroom until after the bell.

Origin / Etymology

From an earlier tardive, from French tardif, from Late Latin tardīvus, from Latin tardus (“slow”, “sluggish”), of obscure origin.

Synonyms

belated, late, delayed

Scrabble Score: 9

tardy: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
tardy: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
tardy: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 8

tardy: valid Words With Friends Word