late
- adjective
- /leɪt/
- Her dad, the late actor John Barrymore Jr., left before she was born.
- late husband
- the late John
Ned Gramlich is not a prophet or the late Ned Gramlich was not a prophet.
- Ned Gramlich is not a prophet or the late Ned Gramlich was not a prophet.
- There is a really nice introduction by the late Lawrence Becker, who Piotr studied with.
- You talked with Neil Howe, who is the guy, along with his late writing partner William Strauss.
Examples
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Here, the reflections of the late Wayne Booth are particularly enlightening.
Academic text (2008) -
It's called Algebra, and it was written by the late Serge Lang.
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I can see you take after your dear late mother.
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My late husband loved gambling.
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Well, shout out to the great late David Stern.
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I'm getting a pink heart for my late friend Lynn Dale.
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Are these photographs of the late Mr. Dietrichson?
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That was Julia, the late Julia Child.
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The late, great Groucho Marx.
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The late Nelson Mandela fought for justice and equality in South Africa.
Synonyms
Word used before a dead person's name to show they are dead
No longer living and often remembered
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
Very likely to arrive after the expected time because they are often not on time
Compounds
- Specialized
A serious plant disease that attacks potatoes and tomatoes late in the growing season
- Specialized
A form of Greek used in speech and writing from the 3rd to the 8th centuries AD
- Specialized
A form of Latin used from the 3rd to the 8th century that links Classical and Medieval Latin
- Specialized
A plant or fruit that becomes ripe late in the growing season, often in fall
Surface Forms
Etymology
Late used before a name comes from the idea of 'recent' or 'not long ago' (see lately), so calling someone 'the late Mr Smith' means Mr Smith has 'recently' died.