tardiness

noun

tar·​di·​ness ˈtär-dē-nəs 

: the quality or state of being tardy or late

Students might be sent to Saturday school for any of various infractions, such as tardiness, truancy, smoking, failure to deliver class-work, or creating a disturbance.

—Anne H. Soukhanov

What you really need is a story that will not only excuse tardiness but encourage your boss to give you the entire day off.

—Jeff Foxworthy

His habitual tardiness got him fired from job after job, yet he couldn't see the consequences of his actions.

—June Kinoshita

Synonyms

• belatedness
• delinquency
• lateness

Examples of tardiness in a Sentence

habitual tardiness will be recorded in your personnel file

Recent Examples on the Web

Eckhart was fired from Fox News in June, 2020, in what the network said was due to tardiness, disclosure of a proprietary graphics package and misappropriation of company resources. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 12 Mar. 2025

Despite the preemptive tardiness chiding, the runway show began at 11.25. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 7 Mar. 2025

Arriving Late Without a Valid Excuse Nothing communicates disrespect and poor time management, like tardiness. —Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025

Earlier this month, JetBlue became the first-ever airline to be penalized for frequent runway tardiness, agreeing to pay the Department of Transportation $2 million as punishment. —Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 28 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tardiness

• hardiness