Arrear

//əˈɹɪə// adv, noun

adv, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
Work to be done, obligation.
"November 4, 1866, James David Forbes, letter to E. C. Batten I have a large arrear of letters to write."
2
Unpaid debt.
"fall into arrears"
3
That which is in the rear or behind.

Adverb

1
Towards the rear, backwards. obsolete
"She, (Ladie) having well before approoved / The feends to be too cruell and severe, / Observ'd th' appointed way, as her behooved, / Ne ever did her ey-sight turne arere [...]."
2
Behind time; overdue. obsolete
"In case the annuity should be arrear for sixty days being lawfully demanded, then the trustee might enter upon the premises assigned [...]."

Synonyms

arrearage arrears decline defalcation default deficit

Antonyms

Example

"When you were a contractor, you were paid in advance, but when working for a salary, you will be paid in arrear."

Etymology

From Middle English arere, from Old French arere, from Vulgar Latin *ad retro (literally “to the rear”).

More for "arrear"

Synonyms Sentences Pronunciation Translate

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation Browse writing guides

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.