Tardy

Tardy describes someone or something that is late, delayed, or not on time. This can apply to people, events, assignments, or processes. Being Tardy often implies a lack of punctuality and can be attributed to various reasons, from unforeseen circumstances to intentional procrastination. The degree of 'tardiness' varies; a few minutes late is different from hours or days behind. Depending on the context, tardiness may cause inconvenience, penalties, or even a loss of opportunity.

Tardy meaning with examples

• John was Tardy for his first day of work because his alarm clock failed to go off, causing him to miss the start of the morning meeting, leading to a scolding from his boss. He rushed to the office, but his colleagues had already started the daily briefing. Now he has to explain why he was Tardy and complete extra tasks for being tardy.
• The delivery of the construction materials was Tardy due to a massive snowstorm that blocked the highway, leading to a setback in the project's timeline. The site manager had to reschedule the workers, which would cost the company money to pay their staff for the downtime. The project completion date was revised.
• Sarah's Tardy submission of her essay resulted in a lower grade from the professor, who strictly penalized late assignments. The professor's policy clearly stated that any assignment submitted after the deadline would receive a reduced score. Sarah felt bad about the reduced score but was responsible for her Tardy paper.
• The train was consistently Tardy throughout the week, causing numerous commuters to miss their connecting buses and appointments. The public transport service had delays due to a signal malfunction and track repairs. Passengers filed complaints and demanded better organization and punctuality from the company.