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YOUR VOCABULARY, ONE WORD AT A TIME

Dilatory

Adjective

IPA /ˈdɪlətəri/

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Meaning in plain English

Slow to act or intended to cause delay; procrastinating or sluggish.

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Pronunciation

Dilatory/ˈdɪlətəri/

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  1. A task is waiting

  2. Action is repeatedly delayed

A dilatory approach is slow and causes delay.

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  1. His dilatory response to the urgent email caused the team to miss the deadline.
  2. The council’s dilatory tactics frustrated citizens demanding quick reform.

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His ________ response to the urgent email caused the team to miss the deadline.
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Dilatory — Slow to act or intended to cause delay; procrastinating or sluggish.

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Slow to act or intended to cause delay; procrastinating or sluggish.

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Word origin

From Latin dilatorius, from dilatus, past participle of differre – “to delay.”

Did you know?

While dilatory can simply mean slow, it often implies an intentional delay—useful in both personal and political contexts.

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Dilatory

/ˈdɪlətəri/ (Adjective)

“Formal: use dilatory in doing something, such as dilatory in replying. It describes delay without always implying deliberate obstruction.”

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