Late — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective adverb /ˈlāt/

Meaning & Definition of Late

Late (adjective)

  1. coming or remaining after the due, usual, or proper time
  2. of, relating to, or imposed because of tardiness
  3. of or relating to an advanced stage in point of time or development, occurring near the end of a period of time or series

Late (adverb)

  1. after the usual or proper time
  2. at or to an advanced point of time
  3. not long ago, recently

Late (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not arriving, occurring, or settled at the due, usual, or proper time

    "I ran as fast as I could, but was still late for class"

    similar: behind, behindhand, belated, delinquent, latish, overdue, tardy
    related: delayed, detained, postponed, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, poky, slow, sluggish, unhurried
    opposite: early, inopportune, precocious, premature, unseasonable, untimely
    near: opportune, seasonable, timely, prompt, punctual

  2. having been such at some previous time

    "the late musical director said he would never have allowed such behavior while he was in charge"

    similar: erstwhile, former, old, once, onetime, other, past, quondam, sometime, whilom
    related: bygone, dead, defunct, departed, expired, extinct, gone, long-ago, vanished
    near: contemporary, current, extant, ongoing, present, present-day, coming, future, prospective, unborn

  3. no longer living

    "our late granduncle remembered us in his will"

    similar: asleep, breathless, cold, dead, deceased, defunct, demised, departed, fallen, gone, lifeless, low, bitten the dust
    related: extinct, dying, fading, moribund, stillborn, finished, lapsed, terminated, inanimate, insensate, nonliving
    opposite: alive, animate, breathing, going, live, living, quick
    near: animated, dynamic, lively, thriving, vibrant, vital, vivacious, active, functioning, operative, running

  4. being far along in development

    "late impressionism gave rise to pointillism"

    similar: advanced, developed, evolved, forward, high, higher, improved, progressive, refined
    related: precocious, full-blown, full-fledged, full-scale, aged, grown, mature, matured, perfected, ripe, ripened, civilized, educated, enhanced, enlightened, contemporary, current, cutting-edge, latest, leading-edge, mod, modern, new, newest, newfangled, new-fashioned, novel, now, present-day, recent, space-age, supermodern, ultramodern, up-to-date
    opposite: backward, low, lower, nonprogressive, primitive, rude, rudimentary, undeveloped
    near: green, immature, underdeveloped, undersized, underweight, unripe, unripened, savage, uncivilized, uneducated, early, embryonic, germinal, primeval, primordial, antediluvian, antiquated, antique, dated, fusty, hoary, musty, Neanderthal, obsolete, old, oldfangled, old-fashioned, old-time, out-of-date, outworn, passé, past

Late (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. after the due, usual, or proper time

    "she has a habit of arriving late for everything"

    similar: belatedly, delinquently, tardily
    related: afterward, anon, eventually, later, latterly, subsequently, thereafter, dilatorily, laggardly, pokily, slow, slowly, sluggishly
    opposite: beforehand, early, inopportunely, precociously, prematurely, unseasonably
    near: immediately, promptly, punctually, pronto, quickly, rapidly, snappily, speedily, swiftly

  2. not long ago

    "the actress, late of New York but now of Los Angeles, is being eagerly sought for film roles"

    similar: freshly, just, lately, new, newly, now, only, recently, of late
    related: latterly
    opposite: anciently
    near: ago, before, earlier, early, erstwhile, formerly, previously, heretofore, hitherto

Related Entry: Of late (phrase)

Of late is a different word from Late. The synonyms below are for of late, not for late.

  1. not long ago

    "He has of late taken to knitting and crocheting."

    similar: freshly, just, late, lately, new, newly, now, only, recently
    related: latterly
    opposite: anciently
    near: ago, before, earlier, early, erstwhile, formerly, previously, heretofore, hitherto

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Late

The most common words with a similar meaning to Late:

behind, behindhand, belated, delinquent, latish, overdue, tardy, erstwhile, former, old, once, onetime, other, past, quondam, sometime, whilom, asleep, breathless, cold, dead, deceased, defunct, demised, departed, fallen, gone, lifeless, low, advanced, developed, evolved, forward, high, higher, improved, progressive, refined, bitten the dust, belatedly

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Late

Words with the opposite meaning of Late:

early, inopportune, precocious, premature, unseasonable, untimely, alive, animate, breathing, going, live, living, quick, backward, low, lower, nonprogressive, primitive, rude, rudimentary, undeveloped, beforehand, inopportunely, precociously, prematurely, unseasonably, anciently

Related Words for Late

delayed, detained, postponed, dallying, dawdling, dilatory, dillydallying, dragging, laggard, lagging, poky, slow, sluggish, unhurried, bygone, expired, extinct, long-ago, vanished, dying, fading, moribund, stillborn, finished, lapsed, terminated, inanimate, insensate, nonliving, precocious

Near Antonyms of Late

opportune, seasonable, timely, prompt, punctual, contemporary, current, extant, ongoing, present, present-day, coming, future, prospective, unborn, animated, dynamic, lively, thriving, vibrant, vital, vivacious, active, functioning, operative, running, green, immature, underdeveloped, undersized

Word Forms of Late

Inflections: later, latest

Derived words: lateness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Late

Middle English, late, slow, from Old English læt; akin to Old High German laz slow, Old English lǣtan to let

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Late

Words & Phrases Containing Late

late blight, late capitalism, Late Greek, Late Hebrew, Late Latin, late bloomer, late-breaking news, late in life

Frequently Asked Questions about Late

What does "Late" mean?

"Late" means coming or remaining after the due, usual, or proper time. As an an adjective and an adverb, it is defined as: coming or remaining after the due, usual, or proper time. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Late"?

Other words for "Late" include behind, behindhand, belated, delinquent, latish, overdue, tardy and erstwhile. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Late" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Late"?

There are 124 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Late". Common alternatives include behind, behindhand, belated, delinquent, latish, overdue, tardy, erstwhile, former and old.

What is the opposite of "Late"?

Antonyms of "Late" include early, inopportune, precocious, premature, unseasonable, untimely, alive and animate. Near antonyms include opportune, seasonable, timely and prompt.

How do you use "Late" in a sentence?

Examples of "Late" in a sentence: "I ran as fast as I could, but was still late for class"; "the late musical director said he would never have allowed such behavior while he was in charge"; "our late granduncle remembered us in his will".

Is "Late" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Late" can be used as an adjective and an adverb, depending on the context.

Is "Late" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Late" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Late"?

"Late" is pronounced /ˈlāt/.