Definition of "tardy" in English

adjective

1. Late; overdue or delayed.

   • He yawned, then raised a tardy hand over his mouth.

2. Moving with a slow pace or motion; not swift.

3. Ineffectual; slow-witted, slow to act, or dull.

   • His tardy performance bordered on incompetence.

4. (obsolete) Unwary; unready (especially in the phrase take (someone) tardy).

5. (obsolete) Criminal; guilty.

noun

1. (US) A piece of paper given to students who are late to class.

   • The teacher gave her a tardy because she did not come into the classroom until after the bell.

2. (US) An instance of a student's being marked as tardy by a teacher on the teacher's attendance sheet.

verb

1. (obsolete, transitive) To make tardy.

2. (rare, intransitive) To dawdle.