tar·dy (tär?d?)adj. tar·di·er, tar·di·est 1. Occurring, arriving, acting, or done after the scheduled, expected, or usual time; late.2. Moving or progressing slowly; sluggish: walking at a tardy pace.[Alteration of Middle English tardive, slow, from Old French tardif, from Vulgar Latin *tard?vus, from Latin tardus.]tar?di·ly adv.tar?di·ness n.Synonyms: tardy, late, overdue These adjectives mean not arriving, occurring, acting, or done at the scheduled, expected, or usual time: tardy in making a dental appointment; late for the plane; an overdue bus.Antonym: promptAmerican Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.tardy (?t??d?) adj, -dier or -diest1. occurring later than expected: tardy retribution. 2. slow in progress, growth, etc: a tardy reader. [C15: from Old French tardif, from Latin tardus slow] ?tardily adv ?tardiness nCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014tar?dy (?t?r di) adj. -di?er, -di?est. 1. late; behind time; not on time. 2. moving or acting slowly; sluggish. 3. delaying through reluctance. [1475?85; earlier tardive, tardif