dilatory

UK: /ˈdɪlətəri/ US: /ˈdɪləˌtɔri/ ,(dil′ə tôr′ē, -tōr′ē)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026

dil•a•to•ry /ˈdɪləˌtɔri/   adj. 

1. tending to delay;
   intending to gain time:
   a dilatory strategy.

See -lat-¹.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

dil•a•to•ry  (dil′ə tôr′ē, -tōr′ē), adj. 

1. tending to delay or procrastinate;
   slow;
   tardy.
2. intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision:
   a dilatory strategy.

• Latin dīlātōrius, equivalent. to dīlā-, suppletive stem of differre to postpone (see differ) + -tōrius -tory¹
• Anglo-French)
• Middle English (1250–1300

dil′a•to′ri•ly, adv. 
dil′a•to′ri•ness, n. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

dilatory / ˈdɪlətərɪ -trɪ/ adjective

1. tending or inclined to delay or waste time
2. intended or designed to waste time or defer action

Etymology: 15th Century: from Late Latin dīlātōrius inclined to delay, from differre to postpone; see differ

ˈdilatorily adverb

ˈdilatoriness noun