tardy

Adj

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

Noun

1. (US) A piece of paper given to students who are late to class.
2. (US) An instance of a student's being marked as tardy by a teacher on the teacher's attendance sheet.

Verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To make tardy.
2. (intransitive, rare) To dawdle.

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtɑːdi/

Etymology

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

Synonyms

late

slow

sluggish

belated

overdue

inactive

dilatory

delayed

retarded

dull

slothful

tardily

laggard

behindhand

lazy

indolent

nugatory

obsolete

old-fashioned

out-of-date

powerless

procrastinating

slack

sloughy

slow-witted

tantalizing

torpid

unseasonable

untimely

arrive late

lazy fellow

tantalising

not quick enough

feel impatient

slow-moving

backward

punchless

behind

be late

belatedly

delaying

feckless

impotent

ineffective

inopportune

irritating

lagging

lated

leisurely

listless