Synonyms of dilatory

dilatory

adjective

ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē 

as in leisurely

moving or proceeding at less than the normal, desirable, or required speed

the homeowner is claiming that local firefighters were dilatory in responding to the call

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leisurely
• slow
• tardy
• creeping
• dallying
• lagging
• unhurried
• dillydallying
• dragging
• sluggish
• laggard
• crawling
• poky
• languid
• dawdling
• slowing
• poking
• snail-paced
• snaillike
• deliberate
• lethargic
• inert
• inactive
• loafing
• lingering
• ambling
• plodding
• lounging
• loitering
• tarrying
• procrastinating
• measured
• heavy-footed
• stalling
• shuffling
• decelerating
• filibustering
• slow-footed
• strolling
• inching

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rapid
• hasty
• speedy
• swift
• brisk
• rushing
• quick
• fast
• expeditious
• lightning
• speeding
• breathless
• racing
• meteoric
• fleet
• whirlwind
• running
• snappy
• prompt
• flying
• dizzy
• rocketing
• bolting
• ready
• hurrying
• warp-speed
• breakneck
• scudding
• whirling
• careering
• accelerated
• zipping
• scurrying
• scooting
• barreling
• whisking
• quickened
• hastened
• hurried
• rushed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of dilatory

And some parents-to-be, either superstitious or simply dilatory, hesitate to purchase baby items far in advance. — New York Times, 29 Dec. 2021

What makes this dilatory pace unfathomable is that Democrats know the disastrous implications of the loss of a single Senate seat in the midst of a legislative battle. — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 27 Oct. 2021

Near the end of the meeting on Tuesday, Allard stopped testimony by raising a point of information and asking a series of procedural questions, a move LaFrance said was dilatory. — Emily Goodykoontz, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Oct. 2021

So Davies gets it right that government decisions, and industry’s dilatory response, have driven the development of EV technology. — IEEE Spectrum, 29 Jan. 2016

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