lateness

Everyday

1. Lateness is being late; arriving or happening after the right or expected time. tree →
2. The fact that it is late in the day or night: because of the lateness of the hour. tree →

In the lessons

In school: lateness is recorded in the register and may lead to a warning. In formal language: «Please excuse my lateness», «apologies for the lateness of this reply».

Examples

• Lateness is marked in the class register. tree →
• The teacher spoke to Ben about his lateness. tree →
• Please excuse my lateness; the bus broke down. tree →
• Because of the lateness of the hour, we went straight to bed. tree →
• The train company apologised for the lateness of the service. tree →
• Repeated lateness can mean missing important lessons. tree →
• The lateness of the hour was almost the biggest thing of all. tree →

Note

Uncountable. Adjective: late. Opposite: punctuality. Trap: «lately» does not mean «in a late way»; it means «recently».