belated
adjective
William Pittenger
Did you know?
Don't worry about being late to the party if you don't know the history of belated; you're right on time. Long ago, there was a verb belate, which meant "to make late." From the beginning, belate tended to mostly turn up in the form of its past participle, belated. When used as an adjective, belated originally meant "overtaken by night," as in "belated travelers seeking lodging for the night." This sense did not overstay its welcome; it was eventually overtaken by the "delayed" meaning we know today. As you may have guessed, belate and its descendant belated derive from the adjective late; belate was formed by simply combining the prefix be- ("to cause to be") with late.
Synonyms
Examples of belated in a Sentence
Fintan O’Toole, Foreign Affairs, 21 Feb. 2023
But a belated, uninspiring improvement is an improvement nonetheless.
—Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 2 Feb. 2024
The belated and awkward actions of the tech giant further damaged the company’s profile at time when China’s regulators were mounting a multi-pronged assault on the activities and business practices of the country’s leading tech firms.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 23 June 2022
At the same time, they were hardly shocked at Ye’s belated attempt to seize control of the project.
—Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 1 Feb. 2022
See all Example Sentences for belated 
Dictionary Entries Near belated
Cite this Entry
“Belated.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/belated. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
belated
adjective
Share