tardiness

noun

tar·​di·​ness ˈtär-dē-nəs How to pronounce tardiness (audio)
: 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

Examples of tardiness in a Sentence

habitual tardiness will be recorded in your personnel file
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The tardiness of the Biden's first Presidential trip to Africa has faced some criticism. Mark R. Weaver, Newsweek, 4 Dec. 2024 There’s no time for tardiness in a Southern kitchen. Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 20 Nov. 2024 Dodgers personnel often criticized Puig for tardiness and inconsistency, some of which might have been tied to his off-field behavior. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2024 The penalty applies even if the taxpayer submits a bullet-proof reasonable cause statement explaining the reason for the tardiness. Matthew Roberts, Forbes, 25 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tardiness 

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tardiness was in 1608

Dictionary Entries Near tardiness

Cite this Entry

“Tardiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tardiness. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on tardiness

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!