overdue

comparative more overdue · superlative most overdue

1. Late; especially, past a deadline or too late to fulfill a need.

   his library books were three days overdue; my car is overdue for an oil change; she finally left on a long overdue vacation

   2 more examples

   [Rural solar plant] schemes are of little help to industry or other heavy users of electricity. Nor is solar power yet as cheap as the grid. For all that, the rapid arrival of electric light to Indian villages is long overdue. When the national grid suffers its next huge outage, as it did in July 2012 when hundreds of millions were left in the dark, look for specks of light in the villages.

   2013 July 20, “Out of the gloom”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8845

   More join us at Colwall and at the lovely station at Great Malvern, although the place is in need of some TLC nowadays. The ornate canopy supports are overdue a repaint, and the closed cafe gives the place a forlorn air.

   2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 67

   Synonyms: backward, behindhand, belated, late, lated, tardy

plural overdues

1. A borrowed item (such as a library book) that has not been returned on time.
2. A payment or invoice that is past due.