dilatory

adjective

dil·a·to·ry ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē How to pronounce dilatory (audio)

: tending or intended to cause delay

dilatory tactics

: characterized by procrastination : tardy

dilatory in paying bills

dilatorily

ˌdi-lə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē How to pronounce dilatory (audio)

adverb

dilatoriness

ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē-nəs How to pronounce dilatory (audio)

noun

Did you know?

When should you use dilatory?

“Slow down, you move too fast / You got to make the morning last / Just kicking down the cobblestones / Looking for fun and feelin'…” dilatory? We can’t say Paul Simon was wrong to choose groovy to end that verse of “The 59th Street Bridge Song” but dilatory would have also made sense. You see, if procrastination is your style, dilatory is the word for you. It’s been describing things that cause delay since at least the 15th century, and its ancestors were hanging around with similar meanings long before that. The word's source is dilatus, a form of the multifaceted Latin verb differre, meaning "to carry away in varying directions, spread abroad, postpone, delay, be unlike or distinct." That verb is also an ancestor of the words different, differ, and defer—a fact we think is pretty groovy.

Example Sentences

the homeowner is claiming that local firefighters were dilatory in responding to the call

Recent Examples on the Web He can’t be blamed for the agency’s dilatory response to problems at the plant.

The Editorial Board, WSJ, 25 May 2022 Members of Congress from both parties are raising tough questions about this dilatory pace.

William A. Galston, WSJ, 24 May 2022 Cleage’s dilatory method, unfortunately, nudges her to find melodramatic solutions to the stasis.

Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2022 And some parents-to-be, either superstitious or simply dilatory, hesitate to purchase baby items far in advance.

New York Times, 29 Dec. 2021 What makes this dilatory pace unfathomable is that Democrats know the disastrous implications of the loss of a single Senate seat in the midst of a legislative battle.

Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 Oct. 2021 Near the end of the meeting on Tuesday, Allard stopped testimony by raising a point of information and asking a series of procedural questions, a move LaFrance said was dilatory.

Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Oct. 2021 Many less attractive traits are also recorded: Charles could be uncommunicative and dilatory, evasive and mendacious, refractory, vindictive, obstinate, even outright wicked, though self-delusive about the motives of others.

R.j.w. Evans, The New York Review of Books, 11 June 2020 State and local governments have been even more dilatory.

Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 7 Aug. 2021 See More

单词	dilatoriness
释义	dilatory adjective dil·a·to·ry ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 1 : tending or intended to cause delay dilatory tactics 2 : characterized by procrastination : tardy dilatory in paying bills dilatorily ˌdi-lə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē adverb dilatoriness ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē-nəs noun Did you know? When should you use dilatory? “Slow down, you move too fast / You got to make the morning last / Just kicking down the cobblestones / Looking for fun and feelin'…” dilatory? We can’t say Paul Simon was wrong to choose groovy to end that verse of “The 59th Street Bridge Song” but dilatory would have also made sense. You see, if procrastination is your style, dilatory is the word for you. It’s been describing things that cause delay since at least the 15th century, and its ancestors were hanging around with similar meanings long before that. The word's source is dilatus, a form of the multifaceted Latin verb differre, meaning "to carry away in varying directions, spread abroad, postpone, delay, be unlike or distinct." That verb is also an ancestor of the words different, differ, and defer—a fact we think is pretty groovy. Synonyms crawling creeping dallying dawdling dillydallying dragging laggard lagging languid leisurely poking poky pokey slow sluggish snail-paced snaillike tardy unhurried See all Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences the homeowner is claiming that local firefighters were dilatory in responding to the call Recent Examples on the Web He can’t be blamed for the agency’s dilatory response to problems at the plant. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 25 May 2022 Members of Congress from both parties are raising tough questions about this dilatory pace. William A. Galston, WSJ, 24 May 2022 Cleage’s dilatory method, unfortunately, nudges her to find melodramatic solutions to the stasis. Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2022 And some parents-to-be, either superstitious or simply dilatory, hesitate to purchase baby items far in advance. New York Times, 29 Dec. 2021 What makes this dilatory pace unfathomable is that Democrats know the disastrous implications of the loss of a single Senate seat in the midst of a legislative battle. Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 Oct. 2021 Near the end of the meeting on Tuesday, Allard stopped testimony by raising a point of information and asking a series of procedural questions, a move LaFrance said was dilatory. Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Oct. 2021 Many less attractive traits are also recorded: Charles could be uncommunicative and dilatory, evasive and mendacious, refractory, vindictive, obstinate, even outright wicked, though self-delusive about the motives of others. R.j.w. Evans, The New York Review of Books, 11 June 2020 State and local governments have been even more dilatory. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 7 Aug. 2021 See More Word History Etymology Middle English, from Anglo-French dilatorie, Late Latin dilatorius, from Latin differre (past participle dilatus) to postpone, differ — more at differ, tolerate First Known Use 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 dilatoriness noun as in tardiness Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance tardiness belatedness lateness sluggishness delinquency Antonyms & Near Antonyms promptness earliness prematurity prematureness promptitude punctuality
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dilatory

adjective

Did you know?

Synonyms

Example Sentences

Word History

noun