Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Causing or intended to cause delay.
  • adjective Characterized by or given to delay or slowness: synonym: slow.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Marked by or given to procrastination or delay; slow; tardy; not prompt: as, dilatory measures; a dilatory messenger.
  • Intended to bring about delay, or to gain time and defer decision: as, a dilatory motion.
  • noun In law, a plea or other proceeding in a suit which is intended to delay the suit without reference to its merits.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Inclined to defer or put off what ought to be done at once; given the procrastination; delaying; procrastinating; loitering.
  • adjective Marked by procrastination or delay; tardy; slow; sluggish; -- said of actions or measures.
  • adjective (Law) a plea designed to create delay in the trial of a cause, generally founded upon some matter not connected with the merits of the case.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Intentionally delaying (someone or something), intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision.
  • adjective Slow or tardy.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective wasting time

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English dilatorie, from Latin dīlātōrius, from dīlātor, delayer, from dīlātus, past participle of differre, to delay : dī-, dis-, apart; see dis– + lātus, carried; see telə- in Indo-European roots.]

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Examples

  • There is a questionable sort of beginning, which might be called dilatory, that consists in carrying the literary aspect of the essential facts to the extreme, and making them occupy a deal more valuable space than is rightly theirs.

    Short Story Writing A Practical Treatise on the Art of The Short Story Charles Raymond Barrett

  • The Senate, by precedent, has ruled such quorum calls dilatory, after cloture.

    The Volokh Conspiracy 2009

  • Democrats accused them of using "dilatory" tactics, but the Bushmen plodded on.

    Al At The Brink 2008

  • So it isn't obvious that he broke the law (on balance it seems not), in which case your rather ranting passage (terms such as dilatory, cavalier disregard, blatant disregard all appeared) seems somewhat tendentious and a bit overcooked.

    Sir Ian Blair: Out of Control? 2006

  • Gingrich branded the amendment strategy "dilatory" about the nicest thing he said about Democrats.

    Gingrich Goes Ballistic 2008

  • With a view of allowing Jake time to "cover his tracks" he resorted to "dilatory" measures.

    Before the War, and After the Union; An Autobiography 1929

  • Smashing through the young Scotsman's media trained response, Snow went through the timetable the PSNI's "dilatory" response remorselessly.

    Slugger O'Toole 2009

  • Smashing through the young Scotsman's media trained response, Snow went through the timetable the PSNI's "dilatory" response remorselessly.

    Slugger O'Toole 2009

  • Lashed out at the team prosecuting him for drunk driving, calling them "unco-operative" and their trial "dilatory";

    IOL: News 2009

  • By precedent, the Senate could make such quorum calls dilatory at any time, if no substantive business had intervened since a quorum had been previously established. www):

    The Volokh Conspiracy 2009

Comments

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  • It seems whenever I look up a word, honestly without knowing its meaning, it strikingly describes exactly what I have been experiencing that very day. Today, for example, I am putting off work by looking up words on Wordnik...the first word that popped into my head...dilatory, of course.

    March 27, 2012

  • I'm forever mixing this up with the word depilatory.

    September 12, 2012

  • adj. Intended to delay.

    adj. Tending to postpone or delay: dilatory in his work habits. See Synonyms at slow.

    from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

    adj. Intentionally delaying (someone or something), intended to cause delay, gain time, or defer decision.

    adj. Slow or tardy.

    September 7, 2013