WordWeb Online

1. After the expected or usual time; delayed
   "I'm late for the plane"; "the train is late";
   - belated, tardy, lated [archaic]
    
2. Being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
   "late evening"; "late 18th century"; "a late movie"; "took a late flight"; "had a late breakfast"
    
3. Of the immediate past or just previous to the present time
   "a late development"; "their late quarrel";
   - recent
    
4. Having died recently
   "her late husband"
    
5. (used especially of persons) of the immediate past
   "our late President is still very active";
   - former, previous
    
6. At or toward an end or late period or stage of development
   "the late phase of feudalism"; "a later symptom of the disease"; "later medical science could have saved the child";
   - later
    
7. (linguistics) of a later stage in the development of a language or literature; used especially of dead languages
   "Late Greek"

1. Later than usual or than expected
   "the train arrived late"; "we awoke late"; "the children came late to school";
   - belatedly, tardily
    
2. To an advanced time
   "talked late into the evening";
   - deep
    
3. At an advanced age or stage
   "she married late"; "undertook the project late in her career"
    
4. In the recent past
   "as late as yesterday she was fine"; "feeling better of late"; "he was in Paris as of late";
   - recently, lately, of late, latterly, as of late

Derived forms: latest, later

See also: advanced, after-hours, dead, latish, Modern, New, past, posthumous, ripe, tardive, timing, unpunctual

Antonym: early, middle

Encyclopedia: Late