belated

comparative more belated · superlative most belated

1. Affected or overtaken by the lateness of the time; hence, synonym of benighted (“overtaken by night; caught out by oncoming night before reaching one's destination”).

   […] Faerie Elves, / VVhoſe midnight Revels, by a Forreſt ſide / Or Fountain ſome belated Peaſant ſees, / Or dreams he ſees, […]

   1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC, signatures D, recto – D, verso, lines 781–784

   1 more example

   At first the steps of a few belated villagers, or the sound of voices from the village, lightened our vigil, but one by one these interruptions died away, and an absolute stillness fell upon us, save for the chimes of the distant church, which told us of the progress of the night, […]

   1904 February 27, A[rthur] Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of Black Peter”, in The Return of Sherlock Holmes, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., published February 1905, →OCLC, page 172

   Synonyms: lated, nighted · Antonyms: unbelated

2. Later in relation to the proper time which something should have happened; specifically, delayed beyond the proper time.

   A belated happy birthday to you!

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   Henceforth vve are to ſtear by another ſort of Authors; neer enough to the things they vvrite, as in thir ovvn Countrie, if that vvould ſerve; in time not much belated, ſome of equal age; […]

   1670, John Milton, “The Second Book”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC, page 97

   This day, for the firſt time, vve hear of the proofs. But vvhen vvere theſe proofs offered? In vvhat cauſe? VVho vvere the parties? VVho inſpected? VVho conteſted this belated account? Let us ſee ſomething to oppoſe to the body of record vvhich appears againſt them.

   1785 February 28 (date delivered), [Edmund] Burke, Mr. Burke’s Speech, on the Motion Made for Papers Relative to the Directions for Charging the Nabob of Arcot’s Private Debts to Europeans, on the Revenues of the Carnatic, February 28th, 1785. […], London: […] J[ames] Dodsley, […], published 1785, →OCLC, page 34

   You may guess, then, how great was my relief when our belated baggage-train was descried against the sky-line, as it slowly wended its way along the purple edge of the precipice toward the staircase by which we had already descended.

   1857, Lord Dufferin [i.e., Frederick Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood, 1st Marquess of Dufferin and Ava], “Letter VII”, in Letters from High Latitudes; Being Some Account of a Voyage in the Schooner Yacht “Foam,” 85 O.M. to Iceland, Jan Mayen, & Spitzbergen, in 1856, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 91

   We could not doubt that justice, if belated, had come at last.

   1908 August 15, Arthur Conan Doyle, “The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge”, in His Last Bow: A Reminiscence of Sherlock Holmes, 1st American edition, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published October 1917, →OCLC, page 59

   England manager Roy Hodgson instantly restored [Wayne] Rooney after a two-match suspension in place of Andy Carroll with orders to make a belated mark on the campaign after sitting out the draw against France and victory against Sweden.

   2012 June 19, Phil McNulty, “England 1 – 0 Ukraine”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 22 Apr 2026

   Synonyms: lated, tardive, tardy, late, backward, behindhand, late, lated · Antonyms: unbelated

3. figurativelySlow to learn or to adopt a trend; hence, lacking education or sophistication; benighted, unenlightened, unsophisticated.

   The devil drives the world, whip in hand,—and oddly enough (considering that some belated folk still fancy there is a God somewhere) succeeds in managing his team with extraordinary ease!

   1895, Marie Corelli, chapter III, in The Sorrows of Satan: or The Strange Experience of One Geoffrey Tempest, Millionaire […], London: Methuen & Co. […], →OCLC, pages 23–24

   Synonyms: backward, uneducated, benighted, cimmerian, clueless, foolish, ignorant, ill-informed

1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of belate.