tardiness
noun
tar·di·ness
ˈtär-dē-nəs 
: the quality or state of being tardy or late
Students might be sent to Saturday school for any of various infractions, such as tardiness, truancy, smoking, failure to deliver class-work, or creating a disturbance.—
Anne H. Soukhanov
Anne H. SoukhanovWhat you really need is a story that will not only excuse tardiness but encourage your boss to give you the entire day off.—Jeff Foxworthy
Jeff FoxworthyHis habitual tardiness got him fired from job after job, yet he couldn't see the consequences of his actions.—June Kinoshita
June KinoshitaExamples of tardiness in a Sentence
habitual tardiness will be recorded in your personnel file
Recent Examples on the Web
Target's new attendance point system Target will start tracking unexcused tardiness and absences for its store and warehouse workers in September, assigning point values to violations and terminating any employee who hits 12 points within a year.
—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
30 June 2026
Fresh out of the gym, the rapper, known for his intense delivery, is particularly chipper during our video call and apologizes for his slight tardiness.
—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
26 June 2026
Obama briskly entered and immediately apologized for tardiness.
—
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
In this case, though, Brenden Aaronson’s family was willing to forgive the tardiness.
—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tardiness
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
30 June 2026
Fresh out of the gym, the rapper, known for his intense delivery, is particularly chipper during our video call and apologizes for his slight tardiness.
—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
26 June 2026
Obama briskly entered and immediately apologized for tardiness.
—
Chicago Tribune,
17 June 2026
In this case, though, Brenden Aaronson’s family was willing to forgive the tardiness.
—
Paul Tenorio,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tardiness
Cite this Entry
“Tardiness.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tardiness. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
