late

late
    adv 1: later than usual or than expected; "the train arrived
           late"; "we awoke late"; "the children came late to
           school"; "notice came so tardily that we almost missed
           the deadline"; "I belatedly wished her a happy birthday"
           [syn: {late}, {belatedly}, {tardily}] [ant: {ahead of
           time}, {early}, {too soon}]
    2: to an advanced time; "deep into the night"; "talked late into
       the evening" [syn: {deep}, {late}]
    3: at an advanced age or stage; "she married late"; "undertook
       the project late in her career"
    4: in the recent past; "he was in Paris recently"; "lately the
       rules have been enforced"; "as late as yesterday she was
       fine"; "feeling better of late"; "the spelling was first
       affected, but latterly the meaning also" [syn: {recently},
       {late}, {lately}, {of late}, {latterly}]
    adj 1: 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" [ant: {early}, {middle}]
    2: after the expected or usual time; delayed; "a belated
       birthday card"; "I'm late for the plane"; "the train is
       late"; "tardy children are sent to the principal"; "always
       tardy in making dental appointments" [syn: {belated}, {late},
       {tardy}]
    3: of the immediate past or just previous to the present time;
       "a late development"; "their late quarrel"; "his recent trip
       to Africa"; "in recent months"; "a recent issue of the
       journal" [syn: {late(a)}, {recent}]
    4: having died recently; "her late husband"
    5: of a later stage in the development of a language or
       literature; used especially of dead languages; "Late Greek"
       [ant: {early}, {middle}]
    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"
       [syn: {late}, {later(a)}] [ant: {early}]
    7: (used especially of persons) of the immediate past; "the
       former president"; "our late President is still very active";
       "the previous occupant of the White House" [syn: {former(a)},
       {late(a)}, {previous(a)}]
    

Late \Late\, adv. [AS. late. See {Late}, a.]
   1. After the usual or proper time, or the time appointed;
      after delay; as, he arrived late; -- opposed to {early}.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Not long ago; lately.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Far in the night, day, week, or other particular period;
      as, to lie abed late; to sit up late at night.
      [1913 Webster]

   {Of late}, in time not long past, or near the present;
      lately; as, the practice is of late uncommon.

   {Too late}, after the proper or available time; when the time
      or opportunity is past.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Late \Late\ (l[=a]t), a. [Compar. {Later} (l[=a]t"[~e]r), or
   {latter} (l[a^]t"t[~e]r); superl. {Latest} (l[=a]t"[e^]st) or
   {Last} (l[.a]st).] [OE. lat slow, slack, AS. l[ae]t; akin to
   OS. lat, D. laat late, G. lass weary, lazy, slack, Icel.
   latr, Sw. lat, Dan. lad, Goth. lats, and to E. let, v. See
   {Let} to permit, and cf. {Alas}, {Lassitude}.]
   1. Coming after the time when due, or after the usual or
      proper time; not early; slow; tardy; long delayed; as, a
      late spring.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Far advanced toward the end or close; as, a late hour of
      the day; a late period of life.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Existing or holding some position not long ago, but not
      now; recently deceased, departed, or gone out of office;
      as, the late bishop of London; the late administration.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Not long past; happening not long ago; recent; as, the
      late rains; we have received late intelligence.
      [1913 Webster]

   5. Continuing or doing until an advanced hour of the night;
      as, late revels; a late watcher.
      [1913 Webster]
    

177 Moby Thesaurus words for "late":
      after time, ahead of time, anachronistic, ancient, antedated,
      arrested, asleep, asleep in Jesus, at rest, back, backward,
      beforehand, behind, behind time, behindhand, belated, belatedly,
      bereft of life, blocked, breathless, bygone, called home, carrion,
      checked, cold, croaked, current, dated, dead, dead and gone,
      death-struck, deceased, deep into, defunct, delayed,
      delayed-action, demised, departed, departed this life,
      destitute of life, detained, dilatory, done for, early, erstwhile,
      exanimate, extinct, fallen, far on, finished, food for worms, fore,
      foredated, former, formerly, fresh, gone, gone to glory, gone west,
      held up, heretofore, hung up, ill-considered, ill-seasoned,
      ill-timed, immemorial, impeded, improper, in a bind, in abeyance,
      inanimate, inappropriate, inauspicious, inconvenient, inexpedient,
      infelicitous, inopportune, intempestive, intrusive, irrelevant,
      jammed, last, late lamented, lately, later, latish, latter,
      latterly, launched into eternity, lifeless, mal a propos,
      malapropos, martyred, metachronistic, misdated, mistimed, moratory,
      never on time, new, newly come, no more, none too soon, obstructed,
      of late, of yesterday, off base, old, olden, once, onetime,
      out of date, out of line, out of phase, out of season, out of time,
      overdue, parachronistic, passed on, past, past due, postdated,
      preceding, prehistoric, premature, previous, previously, primeval,
      primitive, prior, prochronistic, pushing up daisies, quondam,
      recent, recently, released, reposing, resting easy, retarded,
      sainted, set back, sleeping, slow, slowed down, smitten with death,
      sometime, still, stillborn, stopped, taken away, taken off,
      tardily, tardy, then, too late, too soon, unbefitting, unfavorable,
      unfit, unfitting, unfortunate, unhandy, unhappy, unlucky,
      unpropitious, unpunctual, unready, unripe, unseasonable,
      unsuitable, untimely, untoward, whilom, with the Lord,
      with the saints, without life, without vital functions, wrong