Tardiness Meaning and Definition

Tardiness

Tardiness

Pronunciation

/ˈtɑrdnɪs/

Part of Speech

Noun

Definition

A state of being late or delayed, often causing inconvenience or disruption to schedules or plans.

Examples

  • She apologized for her tardiness and promised to be on time for the meeting.
  • The flight was delayed due to poor weather conditions, causing a significant amount of tardiness.

Synonyms

  • Delay
  • Lateness

Antonyms

  • Punctuality
  • Timeliness

Etymology

The word ‘Tardiness’ comes from the Latin ‘tardus’, meaning slow or late, and the suffix ‘-ness’, indicating a state or quality.

Usage Notes

Tardiness is often used to describe both personal and organizational delays, and can be used literally or figuratively.

Cultural References

In the TV show “The Office”, the character Michael Scott is often late to meetings and appointments, causing frustration among his colleagues.

Idiomatic Expressions or Phrases

“Running behind schedule” or “Running late” are common idioms that convey the idea of tardiness.

Related Words or Phrases

  • Delay
  • Lateness
  • Punctuality
  • Timeliness

Collocations

  • Tardiness is often accompanied by words such as “delays”, “traffic”, and “rush hour” to describe the causes of lateness.

Frequency of Use

Tardiness is a common phenomenon in modern life, and as such, the word is frequently used in everyday language.

Common Misspellings

  • Tardnies
  • Tardenes
  • Tardinies

Related Words