late 1 of 2

1
2
as in former
having been such at some previous time the late musical director said he would never have allowed such behavior while he was in charge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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late

2 of 2

adverb

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective late contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of late are dead, deceased, defunct, and departed. While all these words mean "devoid of life," late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

In what contexts can dead take the place of late?

In some situations, the words dead and late are roughly equivalent. However, dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

How is deceased related to other words for late?

Deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. Deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

When is defunct a more appropriate choice than late?

The synonyms defunct and late are sometimes interchangeable, but defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

When could departed be used to replace late?

Although the words departed and late have much in common, departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of late
Adjective
By late April, his average approval rating had fallen under 45 percent. The Hill Staff, The Hill, 24 Apr. 2025 But the prolific writer-director’s latest provides an illustration of how the genre became somewhat fossilized via formulaic writing and overexposure even before 1950s television began churning out Western content in bulk. Dennis Harvey, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
Adverb
Bondi signaled late last month that any criminal investigation into the matter was unlikely. Katherine Faulders, ABC News, 25 Apr. 2025 It probably wouldn’t have been finished until very late in the afternoon session and with a near full week of practice for the 109th Indianapolis 500in May, there remains more opportunity fine-tune the setup. Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for late
Recent Examples of Synonyms for late
Adjective
  • Under former President Joe Biden, monthly student loan bills resumed in the fall of 2023 after a years-long break.
    Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • In the past week, one of the most contentious issues to emerge has been the future of a former elementary school housing the pre-kindergarten programs for about 340 youngsters.
    Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The first-generation satellite system will include more than 3,200 advanced low-Earth orbit satellites, which will be delivered across more than 80 launches in the coming years.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025
  • However, QuickBooks Desktop is better-suited for businesses requiring strong job costing, advanced reporting, and industry-specific versions.
    Gene Marks, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • The second phase of the plan is set to roll out later this year.
    Bonnie Bolden, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025
  • Police in Hamburg said a 58-year-old woman, who was later identified by the Guardian as Alexandra Fröhlich, a bestselling novelist, was found lifeless by her relatives on her houseboat on Tuesday morning.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • Lopez has been spending a lot of time in New York lately, and her outfits have ranged from casual and comfortable looks to the highest octane slays, and sometimes even both at the same time.
    Aamina Inayat Khan, StyleCaster, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Some industry veterans have expressed concern lately about FAST saturation in the U.S., given the ongoing challenges for viewers looking to discover programming and advertisers and programmers trying to reach and retain viewers.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Scrambling to recall a few staff and issue some belated funding is just window dressing.
    David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Feb. 2025
  • Please accept our belated apology.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 25 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Not content just to confirm its arrival, Veach deftly sliced a slit in the plastic to minimize any potential forensic trail, removed the new game and swapped in the old version before carefully rewrapping it.
    Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star, 18 Apr. 2025
  • In contrast, older generations started saving much later, with boomers beginning at an average age of 37 and with plans to retire at 72.
    Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • An Oakland bicyclist is dead following a Friday night hit-and-run incident.
    Stephanie Lam, Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2025
  • That being said, the dream of NXT Europe isn't dead.
    Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Apr. 2025
Adverb
  • For large portion of this year, Pope Francis resided at Rome's Gemelli University Hospital due to a litany of health issues, including bilateral pneumonia, before eventually succumbing to a stroke and irreversible heart failure.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Despite local opposition, state lawmakers anticipate that CoreCivic will eventually succeed in reopening the detention center.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 21 Apr. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Late.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/late. Accessed 2 May. 2025.

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