Dilatory

Practice This Word

Causing delay; tending to delay or hinder action; not prompt.

adjective

Dilatory

Causing delay; tending to delay or hinder action; not prompt.

adjective

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Imagine This

The doctor dilates your eye in order to examine inside the eye. After your eye is dilated, it delays the eye from getting back to normal.

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Sounds Like

DIL-uh-tor-ee

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Looks Like

dilate + ory (visually resembles the word 'dilate' with the suffix -ory)

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Remember This

The root is linked to delay; related forms include dilator and dilatorily (adverb). The idea is something that slows things down, either intentionally or habitually.

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Other Forms

dilatorilyadverb

dilatorinessnoun

dilatornoun

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Connect With

delay, procrastinate, stall, slow, tardy

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Note

Dilatory describes behavior or actions that are slow to proceed or intentionally delaying, not simply being late. Do not confuse with similar-sounding words like 'dilate' (to widen).

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Study Deeper

Examples

Her dilatory response to the urgent request angered the team.
The committee blamed the dilatory procedures for the project's delay.

Synonyms

tardyslowlaggardprocrastinatingdelaying

Antonyms

promptpunctualexpeditious

Etymology

From Latin dilatorius 'tending to delay', from dilatus 'carried forth, postponed', from the verb dilare 'to delay' or 'to postpone'.

Mnemonic

DILATORY = DILLY-DALLY + ORY. Imagine someone dilly-dallying, causing delay, and note the -ory suffix to remember the meaning.

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Vicarious

adjective

Experiencing or feeling something through another person’s actions or experiences rather than directly oneself; existing by means of someone else’s experiences or perspective.