tardiness

noun

tar·​di·​ness ˈtär-dē-nəs 

: the quality or state of being tardy or late

Students might be sent to Saturday school for any of various infractions, such as tardiness, truancy, smoking, failure to deliver class-work, or creating a disturbance.

—Anne H. Soukhanov

What you really need is a story that will not only excuse tardiness but encourage your boss to give you the entire day off.

—Jeff Foxworthy

His habitual tardiness got him fired from job after job, yet he couldn't see the consequences of his actions.

—June Kinoshita

Synonyms

• belatedness
• delinquency
• lateness

Examples of tardiness in a Sentence

habitual tardiness will be recorded in your personnel file

Recent Examples on the Web

Arriving Late Without a Valid Excuse Nothing communicates disrespect and poor time management, like tardiness. —Caroline Castrillon, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2025

Earlier this month, JetBlue became the first-ever airline to be penalized for frequent runway tardiness, agreeing to pay the Department of Transportation $2 million as punishment. —Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 28 Jan. 2025

But DeVaughn, who says he was instantly drawn to her on the app, didn’t allow a little tardiness to hamper the chances of a good thing. —Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 6 Feb. 2025

In other words, no drugs, alcohol abuse, tardiness, triviality, egocentricity. —Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1608, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tardiness

• hardiness