Tardy vs. Delay: What's the Difference?
Tardy and Delay Definitions
Tardy
Occurring, arriving, acting, or done after the scheduled, expected, or usual time; late.
Delay
To postpone until a later time; defer.
Tardy
Moving or progressing slowly; sluggish
Walking at a tardy pace.
Delay
To cause to be later or slower than expected or desired
Heavy traffic delayed us.
Tardy
Late; overdue or delayed.
He yawned, then raised a tardy hand over his mouth.
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Delay
To act or move slowly; put off an action or a decision.
Tardy
Moving with a slow pace or motion; not swift.
Delay
The act of delaying; postponement
Responded without delay.
Tardy
Ineffectual; slow-witted, slow to act, or dull.
His tardy performance bordered on incompetence.
Delay
The condition of being delayed; detainment.
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Tardy
(obsolete) Unwary; unready (especially in the phrase take (someone) tardy).
Delay
The period of time during which one is delayed.
Tardy
(obsolete) Criminal; guilty.
Delay
The interval of time between two events.
Tardy
(US) A piece of paper given to students who are late to class.
The teacher gave her a tardy because she did not come into the classroom until after the bell.
Delay
A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.
The delay before the echo of a sound
Tardy
(US) An instance of a student's being marked as tardy by a teacher on the teacher's attendance sheet.
Delay
(music) An audio effects unit that introduces a controlled delay.
Tardy
To make tardy.
Delay
Synonym of promise
Tardy
Moving with a slow pace or motion; slow; not swift.
And check the tardy flight of time.
Tardy to vengeance, and with mercy brave.
Delay
(chess) An amount of time provided on each move before one's clock starts to tick; a less common time control than increment.
Tardy
Not being inseason; late; dilatory; - opposed to prompt; as, to be tardy in one's payments.
The tardy plants in our cold orchards placed.
Delay
(ambitransitive) To put off until a later time; to defer.
Tardy
Unwary; unready.
Delay
To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time.
The mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.
Tardy
Criminal; guilty.
Delay
To allay; to temper.
Tardy
To make tardy.
Delay
(obsolete) To dilute, temper.
Tardy
After the expected or usual time; 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
Delay
(obsolete) To assuage, quench, allay.
Delay
A putting off or deferring; procrastination; lingering inactivity; stop; detention; hindrance.
Without any delay, on the morrow I sat on the judgment seat.
The government ought to be settled without the delay of a day.
Delay
To put off; to defer; to procrastinate; to prolong the time of or before.
My lord delayeth his coming.
Delay
To retard; to stop, detain, or hinder, for a time; to retard the motion, or time of arrival, of; as, the mail is delayed by a heavy fall of snow.
Thyrsis! whose artful strains have oft delayedThe huddling brook to hear his madrigal.
Delay
To allay; to temper.
The watery showers delay the raging wind.
Delay
To move slowly; to stop for a time; to linger; to tarry.
There seem to be certain bounds to the quickness and slowness of the succession of those ideas, . . . beyond which they can neither delay nor hasten.
Delay
Time during which some action is awaited;
Instant replay caused too long a delay
He ordered a hold in the action
Delay
The act of delaying; inactivity resulting in something being put off until a later time
Delay
Cause to be slowed down or delayed;
Traffic was delayed by the bad weather
She delayed the work that she didn't want to perform
Delay
Act later than planned, scheduled, or required;
Don't delay your application to graduate school or else it won't be considered
Delay
Stop or halt;
Please stay the bloodshed!
Delay
Slow the growth or development of;
The brain damage will retard the child's language development
