Refine this word faster

Stronger alternatives Opposite tone Use in context Cross-language nuance

Late

//leɪt// adj, adv, noun, slang

Definitions

Adjective

1
Near the end of a period of time.
"The seedlings appeared to be coming along nicely until a late frost killed them."
2
Specifically, near the end of the day.
"It was getting late and I was tired."
3
Associated with the end of a period. not-comparable, usually
"Late Latin is less fully inflected than classical Latin."
4
Not arriving or occurring until after an expected time.
"The flowers were late in blooming because of the prolonged cold weather."
5
Levied as a surcharge on a payment which has not arrived by a specified deadline.
"The power company suspended late fees during the pandemic."

Show 5 more definitions

6
Not having had an expected menstrual period.
"I'm late, honey. Could you buy a test?"
7
Deceased, dead: used particularly when speaking of the dead person's actions while alive. (Generally must be preceded by a possessive or an article, commonly "the"; see usage notes. Can itself only precede the person's name, never follow it.) euphemistic, not-comparable
"Her late husband had left her well provided for."
8
Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not now; departed, or gone out of office.
"the late bishop of London"
9
Recent — relative to the noun it modifies.
"the late war"
10
Of a star or class of stars, cooler than the sun.

Adjective

1
having died recently wordnet
2
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time wordnet
3
at or toward an end or late period or stage of development wordnet
4
of a later stage in the development of a language or literature; used especially of dead languages wordnet
5
(used especially of persons) of the immediate past wordnet

Show 2 more definitions

6
of the immediate past or just previous to the present time wordnet
7
after the expected or usual time; delayed wordnet

Adverb

1
After a deadline has passed, past a designated time.
"We drove as fast as we could, but we still arrived late."
2
Formerly, especially in the context of service in a military unit.
"Colonel Easterwood, late of the 34th Carbines, was a guest at the dinner party."
3
Not long ago; just now, recently.
"He ſhall doe this, or elſe I doe recant / The pardon that I late pronounced heere."

Adverb

1
later than usual or than expected wordnet
2
in the recent past wordnet
3
to an advanced time wordnet
4
at an advanced age or stage wordnet

Noun

1
A shift (scheduled work period) that takes place late in the day or at night. informal
"At about 11 pm one night in Corporation Street my watch were on van patrol and Yellow Watch were on late as usual."
2
Acronym of limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy, a form of dementia. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable
"We describe a recently recognized disease entity, limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). LATE neuropathological change (LATE-NC) is defined by a stereotypical TDP-43 proteinopathy in older adults, with or without coexisting hippocampal sclerosis pathology."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English late, lat, from Old English læt (“slow; slack, lax, negligent; late”), from Proto-West Germanic *lat, from Proto-Germanic *lataz (“slow, lazy”). By surface analysis, deverbal from let. Cognates Cognate with Yola laate (“late”), North Frisian leed, leet, lääs (“late”), Saterland Frisian leet (“late”), Dutch, German Low German laat (“late, tardy”), Danish lad (“languid, lazy, indolent”), Faroese, Icelandic latur (“lazy”), Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk and Swedish lat (“lazy”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐍄𐍃 (lats, “lazy, slothful”).

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Next best steps

Find stronger synonyms See usage examples Check pronunciation

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: late