as in later
after the due, usual, or proper time
she belatedly realized that it had been her friend's birthday the day before
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Recent Examples of belatedly
These are goals which could, belatedly, spark the Slovenia international’s first season at United into life.
—
Chris McKenna, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Credit to the administration for realizing – belatedly – that blindly putting tariffs on food that cannot grow here was bad policy, but there needs to be a deeper rollback.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 5 Dec. 2025
There’s a pleasing sense of closure in knowing the trio’s creative woes were belatedly resolved.
—Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2025
Barkov deserves, belatedly, finally, a place of highest stature in South Florida sports history as the Panthers’ equal of Dolphins great Dan Marino and Heat icon Dwyane Wade.
—Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Colleges are belatedly realizing how important that kind of data is to students and their families, said Lee Roberts, chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill, in an interview.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
At the time, the West seemed like a dreamscape, a vision of the future to which my region was belatedly trying to catch up.
—Literary Hub, 10 Oct. 2025
Madonna will belatedly mark the 30th anniversary of her 1994 album Bedtime Stories with an EP boasting early demos, alternate mixes, and remixes.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025
Mamdani was in Uganda to belatedly celebrate his wedding, a trip that would give him and his wife, Rama Duwaji, a chance to say goodbye to private life.
—Eric Lach, New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belatedly
Adverb
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Originally a working-class neighborhood of Polish immigrants who raised goats in their yards—leading to the nickname Goat Prairie and later Bucktown—this Chicago enclave has evolved into a mix of independent boutiques and restaurants with a dynamic urban feel.—
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The board voted 5-1 to authorize Superintendent Stacie Stanley to execute the agreement once details were cemented, which took place less than an hour later.—
Adverb
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Following the weekend our next big change will be another extended Arctic Blast late next week.—
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The Kings came back to cut the deficit to one on a few occasions late in the first half.—
Adverb
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Strategic training and long-term transition plans The timing of this contract aligns with broader Navy efforts to sustain and eventually transition the E-6B fleet to its next generation.—
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The officer was eventually knocked off the vehicle, and other members of law enforcement took Muñoz-Guatemala into custody about a mile away.—
Adverb
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When making the icing, make sure to add the cherry juice slowly.—
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Annual land and sea surface temperature anomalies each year compared to the 20th century average show ocean temperatures respond more slowly but are also rising.—
Cite this Entry
“Belatedly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belatedly. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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