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dilatoriness

dilatoriness

9.9
A habit of putting things off and acting slowly
  • noun
  • /dɪˈleɪtəˌrɪnəs/
  • Archaic
translation icon : dilación
  • Due to her dilatoriness in submitting the application, she missed the deadline for enrollment.

Examples

  • The dilatoriness of the committee in making decisions frustrated many of the members.

  • "An outsider might well see in all this an attempt to sabotage by dilatoriness and for tactical and diplomatic reasons the mission entrusted to you by the pope," Gundlach wrote La Farge, who had returned to the United States.

    Academic text (1998)
  • It is owing, let me repeat, neither to any dilatoriness whatever on our visitor's part nor to transoceanic air-traffic problems, but solely to the extraordinary security measures that, alas, necessarily attend and not infrequently impede the woman's every movement.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • His dilatoriness in finishing the project led to severe consequences for the entire team.

Synonyms

procrastination
vsdilatoriness
21 4.8

Delaying tasks you should do until later

is a general, ongoing tendency rather than a single act
slowness
vsdilatoriness
5 1.1

A state when something moves or happens less quickly than usual

is specifically caused by failing to act promptly, not just low speed
dawdling
vsdilatoriness
4 6.5

Slow, unnecessary movement or delay that wastes time

is a broad habit of postponing actions rather than mere physical slowness
temporization
vsdilatoriness
  • Formal
9.1

Delaying action to gain time and avoid making a decision

is an ingrained tendency, not a deliberate tactic to stall

Antonyms

120 3.3

A situation that needs attention right away because it is very important

4 3.5

Doing something quickly and at the expected time

How Slow

dilatoriness
  • Archaic
9.9
delay
434 1.3
promptness
4 3.5

Surface Forms

dilatoriness singular

Morphology

dilatoriness = dilatory (semi-transparent) = dilatory + ness

Formed regularly from the adjective 'dilatory' + '-ness', but 'dilatory' is formal/low-frequency so learners who know 'delay' may not infer this noun.

Etymology

Dilatoriness comes from the Latin verb dilatare, which meant 'to delay' or 'to put off' and is the same root as the English word delay. So dilatoriness is the habit of postponing things or acting slowly.