Meaning of late in English
Pronunciation
/leɪt/US accent
UK accent
to browse different examples of pronunciation.Classifying Adjective
lateDefinitions
1. after the expected or usual timeExamples
- « delayed »
- « a belated birthday card »
- « I'm late for the plane »
- « the train is late »
- « tardy children are sent to the principal »
- « always tardy in making dental appointments »
Synonyms
Adverb
lateDefinitions
1. later than usual or than expectedExamples
- « the train arrived late »
- « we awoke late »
- « the children came late to school »
- « notice came so tardily that we almost missed the deadline »
- « I belatedly wished her a happy birthday »
Antonyms
- 2. to an advanced time
Examples
- « deep into the night »
- « talked late into the evening »
- 3. at an advanced age or stage
Examples
- « she married late »
- « undertook the project late in her career »
- 4. in the recent past
Examples
- « he was in Paris recently »
- « lately the rules have been enforced »
- « as late as yesterday she was fine »
- « feeling better of late »
- « the spelling was first affected, but latterly the meaning also »
Qualitative Adjective
lateEtymology
Old English læt (adjective; also in the sense ‘slow, tardy’), late (adverb), of Germanic origin; related to German lass, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin lassus‘weary’, let, and letDefinitions
1. being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected timeExamples
- « late evening »
- « late 18th century »
- « a late movie »
- « took a late flight »
- « had a late breakfast »
Synonyms
Antonyms
- 2. of a later stage in the development of a language or literature
Examples
- « used especially of dead languages »
- « Late Greek »
Synonyms
Antonyms
- 3. at or toward an end or late period or stage of development
Examples
- « the late phase of feudalism »
- « a later symptom of the disease »
- « later medical science could have saved the child »
Synonyms
Antonyms