Skip to content

tardivo

late; belated; overdue

adjective tar-DEE-voh Rare
Time Time Expressions

Origin: From Latin 'tardivus', from 'tardus' (slow, late).

Usage Note

Tardivo describes something that arrives or develops later than expected or later than normal — a gelo tardivo (late frost), uno sviluppo tardivo (late/slow development), or un bambino tardivo (a late-born child, or colloquially, a slow developer). It is more formal and nuanced than the common tardi (late) or in ritardo (running late), which refer to punctuality rather than developmental or seasonal lateness.

Examples

"La primavera tardiva ha danneggiato il raccolto."

Natural Translation

The belated spring damaged the harvest.

Explore Italian by topic