as in later
after the due, usual, or proper time
she belatedly realized that it had been her friend's birthday the day before
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Recent Examples of belatedly
After Daniil Medvedev’s comprehensive and belatedly controversial win over Jack Draper in their quarterfinal, Carlos Alcaraz came out to face Cameron Norrie, one of the few players outside of Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic who has troubled him the past few years.
—
Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
The Healey administration and the Legislature have belatedly taken notice of this alarming trend.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Imagine meeting the love of your life, entering a relationship with them, and then belatedly realizing your literal body rejects the union.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 6 Mar. 2026
After Carter scored on the Magic's second offensive rebound of their final possession, Luka Doncic belatedly got the ball to James, whose desperation shot didn't go.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
News outlets are belatedly reporting that the Islamic Republic has used the cover of a sustained media blackout to carry out the most extensive repression in its history.
—Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The audit was ordered last year after the Blue Hills Civic Association belatedly reported that $300,000 in state money disappeared in 2024 through a fraudulent bank transfer.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
Credit to the administration for realizing – belatedly – that blindly putting tariffs on food that cannot grow here was bad policy, but there needs to be a deeper rollback.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
There’s a pleasing sense of closure in knowing the trio’s creative woes were belatedly resolved.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
Ava Wallace, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
The Healey administration and the Legislature have belatedly taken notice of this alarming trend.
—Editorial, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
Imagine meeting the love of your life, entering a relationship with them, and then belatedly realizing your literal body rejects the union.
—Caroline Tien, SELF, 6 Mar. 2026
After Carter scored on the Magic's second offensive rebound of their final possession, Luka Doncic belatedly got the ball to James, whose desperation shot didn't go.
—ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026
News outlets are belatedly reporting that the Islamic Republic has used the cover of a sustained media blackout to carry out the most extensive repression in its history.
—Ilan Berman, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
The audit was ordered last year after the Blue Hills Civic Association belatedly reported that $300,000 in state money disappeared in 2024 through a fraudulent bank transfer.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
Credit to the administration for realizing – belatedly – that blindly putting tariffs on food that cannot grow here was bad policy, but there needs to be a deeper rollback.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
There’s a pleasing sense of closure in knowing the trio’s creative woes were belatedly resolved.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belatedly
Adverb
-
The Senate's action would then send the bill back to the House, which is also holding a pro-forma session later in the morning.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Crew has an amazing sight in store Four days later during the lunar flyby, the moon will appear to be the size of a basketball held at arm’s length.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Brown, who scuffled as a shooter for most of the game, caught fire late with two 3-pointers and an and-one midrange jumper that cut Boston’s deficit to eight with just over a minute remaining.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
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Tungsten Tungsten hit a record high of over $3,000 late last week, marking a surge of well over 50% for the month and more than tripling in price since late December.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
31 Mar. 2026
Adverb
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Perry's representative confirmed to USA TODAY on Tuesday that the workers were eventually allowed to hold onto the gift cards after confusion was cleared up.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
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Geno Smith, who eventually became the starting QB in Seattle, also fit the mold of journeyman passer.—
Mike Kaye
April 1,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
In that interaction, forehead-to-forehead with Ayers and then slowly backing away, back to his bench, Hurley never blinked.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2026
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Drivers were encouraged to drive slowly and carefully on wet roads, according to the weather service.—
Helen Rummel,
AZCentral.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belatedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belatedly. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
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