


[Antonyms: earliness.]

[Nouns] lateness; tardiness (slowness) [more].

delay, delation; cunctation, procrastination; deferring, deferral; postponement, adjournment, prorogation, retardation, respite, pause, reprieve, stay of execution; protraction, prolongation; Fabian policy, medecine expectante, chancery suit, federal case; leeway; high time; moratorium, holdover.

[Verbs] be late; tarry, wait, stay, bide, take time; dawdle (be inactive) [more]; linger, loiter; bide one's time, take one's time; gain time; hang fire; stand over, lie over.

put off, defer, delay, lay over, suspend; table [parliamentary]; shift off, stave off; waive, retard, remand, postpone, adjourn; procrastinate; dally; prolong, protract; spin out, draw out, lengthen out, stretch out; prorogue; keep back; tide over; push to the last, drive to the last; let the matter stand over; reserve (store) [more]; temperize; consult one's pillow, sleep on it.

lose an opportunity [more]; be kept waiting, dance attendance; kick one's heels, cool one's heels; faire antichambre; wait impatiently; await (expect) [more]; sit up, sit up at night.

[Adjectives] late, tardy, slow, behindhand, serotine, belated, postliminious, posthumous, backward, unpunctual, untimely; delayed, postponed; dilatory (slow) [more]; delayed; in abeyance.

[Adverbs] late; lateward, backward; late in the day; at sunset, at the eleventh hour, at length, at last; ultimately; after time, behind time, after the deadline; too late; too late for [more].

slowly, leisurely, deliberately, at one's leisure; ex post facto; sine die [parl.].

[Phrases] nonum prematur in annum [Horace]; "against the sunbeams serotine and lucent" [Longfellow]; ie meglio tardi che mai ["Better late than never" (Italian)]; deliberando saepe perit occasio [Syrus. "The opportunity often slips away while we deliberate on it" (Latin)].

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