“late”

Arriving or occurring behind the expected or scheduled time.

“The tardy professor shuffled in twenty minutes after the lecture was supposed to begin.”

Best for: Works well in formal or academic settings; slightly elevated but widely understood.

Coming or happening after the expected or proper time.

“His belated apology did little to mend the damage already done.”

Best for: Best for situations where something arrives well after it was due; common in everyday formal writing.

Not having arrived or been done by the expected or required time.

“The overdue train finally groaned into the station as the last commuters gave up hope.”

Best for: Punchy and direct; works in journalism, casual speech, and terse narrative prose.

Slow to act or tending to cause delay, often deliberately.

“His dilatory replies frustrated the entire editorial team waiting on his corrections.”

Best for: Ideal for formal criticism or literary prose; implies deliberate or habitual slowness.

Late or lagging behind in one's duties, payments, or progress.

“She found herself behindhand with her correspondence after a month of illness.”

Best for: Archaic flavour suits period fiction or ironic, self-deprecating writing.

Of, relating to, or occurring in the late evening hours.

“A vespertine calm settled over the village as the last light drained from the sky.”

Best for: Strictly poetic; use only for atmospheric descriptions of lateness in the day, not tardiness.