What does dilatory mean?
Dilatory is a formal adjective describing something slow, tardy, or deliberately time-wasting. When applied to people, it suggests a habitual reluctance to act — a dilatory official puts off decisions long past the point of reasonableness. When applied to tactics, motions, or responses, it implies the delay is purposeful, as in the legal phrase 'dilatory tactics,' where one party stalls proceedings to gain advantage. The word derives from Latin dilatorius, formed from dilatus, the past participle of differre, meaning 'to carry apart' or 'to postpone,' making it a cousin of defer and different. Its tone is typically critical: calling a person or process dilatory implies the slowness is culpable, not merely unhurried. Though rare in casual speech, it is a precise and useful term in law, politics, and business writing for characterizing obstruction through delay, and it pairs naturally with nouns such as response, tactics, approach, and behavior.
Slow to act; tending to delay or procrastinate.
"He was dilatory in settling his debts."
Often followed by 'in' plus a gerund: 'dilatory in responding.'
(Of actions or procedures) intended to cause delay.
"The judge dismissed the motion as purely dilatory."
Especially common in legal contexts, as in 'dilatory pleas' or 'dilatory tactics'.
Dilatory comes from the same Latin verb as 'defer' and even 'different' — so when someone drags their feet, they are literally 'carrying apart' the task from its deadline.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dilatory
Dilatory entered English in the early 17th century from Latin dilatorius, derived from dilatus, the suppletive past participle of differre, meaning 'to carry apart, put off, or delay.' This same Latin verb produced the English words defer and differ, making them genuine cognates sharing the root ferre ('to carry') combined with dis- ('apart'). The word has retained its core sense of postponement throughout its history, developing both its neutral sense of slowness and its stronger legal sense of deliberate stalling.
Related word forms
How dilatory is actually used
Formal in register, appearing chiefly in legal, political, and journalistic prose rather than everyday conversation. The word often carries a mildly disapproving connotation, implying the delay is blameworthy rather than innocent. It can describe either people who dawdle ('he was dilatory in replying') or measures taken deliberately to stall progress ('dilatory tactics').
Easily confused with dilatory
Dilatant describes a substance that becomes more viscous under stress (as in physics), whereas dilatory means slow or delaying.
Retaliatory means done in return for an injury or wrong, while dilatory simply means slow or tending to delay.