dilatory

[ dil-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee ]
/ ˈdɪl əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR dilatory ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

tending to delay or procrastinate; slow; tardy.
intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision: a dilatory strategy.

Origin of dilatory

1250–1300; Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin dīlātōrius, equivalent to dīlā-, suppletive stem of differre to postpone (see differ) + -tōrius -tory1

OTHER WORDS FROM dilatory

dil·a·to·ri·ly, adverb dil·a·to·ri·ness, noun un·dil·a·to·ri·ly, adverb un·dil·a·to·ry, adjective

Words nearby dilatory

dilation and evacuation, dilation and extraction, dilative, dilatometer, dilator, dilatory, dilaudid, dildo, dilemma, dilettante, dilettantism

Words related to dilatory

backward, delaying, deliberate, laggard, late, lax, lazy, leisurely, neglectful, negligent, remiss, slack, slow, sluggish, tardy, unhurried, behindhand, lingering, loitering, moratory

Example sentences from the Web for dilatory

British Dictionary definitions for dilatory

dilatory
/ (ˈdɪlətərɪ, -trɪ) /

adjective

tending or inclined to delay or waste time
intended or designed to waste time or defer action

Derived forms of dilatory

dilatorily, adverb dilatoriness, noun

Word Origin for dilatory

C15: from Late Latin dīlātōrius inclined to delay, from differre to postpone; see differ