Tending to procrastinate or cause delay; characterized by slowness in taking action.
Maggie grew frustrated as her coworker's dilatory behavior kept pushing the project deadline back. Every time the team made progress, he found a reason to wait or talk more. It was clear he was tending or intending to cause delay, which made everyone feel annoyed.
The king's advisors were dilatory, their constant meetings and endless debates delaying the crucial decision. Meanwhile, the enemy army marched closer, their own swift actions a stark contrast to the king's wasted time.
The boss stared at Mark's incomplete report, frustration building. His dilatory approach meant the project was weeks behind schedule, and other teams were now waiting. Everyone would miss their deadlines because Mark couldn't finish his work on time, and the consequences would soon become clear.
Whenever Mom asks Tim to clean his room, he acts as dilatory as a snail in molasses. He ties one shoe, then takes a snack break, then discusses world peace with the cat. By bedtime, his room is messier, and he still hasn’t started.
The sloth, famous for its incredibly slow walk, was the poster child for dilatory actions. It took him an hour to decide which leaf to munch on next. His slow, deliberate moves were intended to cause delay, making even a snail seem like it was in a hurry.
The dilatory tactics of the defendant's lawyer, such as requesting multiple extensions and filing unnecessary motions, were clearly aimed at dragging out the legal proceedings and delaying the inevitable court decision.
"The construction project was plagued by dilatory tactics from contractors, who repeatedly postponed deadlines and withheld crucial information, causing significant setbacks in the completion schedule."
As the dilatory footsteps drew closer, Sarah's heart pounded in terror. She knew the creature lurking in the shadows was deliberately prolonging the inevitable attack. The eerie silence was broken only by the sound of its slow, deliberate movements creeping closer and closer. Each second felt like an eternity as Sarah's fear grew exponentially. She tried to scream for help, but the dilatory approach of the monster seemed to stifle her voice. The sense of impending doom was overwhelming as the creature finally reached out with its twisted claws, ready to strike.
The lumbering footsteps echoed through the dilapidated basement. Darkness pressed in, its suffocating void punctuated only by skittering paws. Time seemed to crawl, each tick of the rusty clock a torturous reminder of their dilatory plight. The musty air was thick with the scent of decay, each breath a reminder of their impending doom.
The dilatory wizard, known for his slow and deliberate movements, was the last hope for the kingdom in their time of need. As the darkness crept closer, the townspeople watched in frustration as he took his time preparing his spells. But little did they know, his dilatory nature was actually a strategic move to ensure the most powerful magic possible. Finally, with a wave of his hand, a blinding light filled the sky, banishing the darkness and protecting the kingdom once more. The people realized that sometimes, patience and delay can lead to the greatest victories.
The team grew increasingly frustrated as Mark’s dilatory responses kept pushing back their deadlines. Every time they waited for his approval or feedback, projects came to a standstill. It was clear that his actions were tending or intended to cause delay, which affected everyone's progress.
The manager's dilatory response to the urgent equipment breakdown only fueled the team's frustration. Days turned into a week with no concrete plan, leaving everyone feeling stuck and increasingly anxious about meeting their deadlines.
Mark's boss grew increasingly frustrated with his dilatory approach to the project. Each missed deadline and postponed meeting pushed the team further behind schedule, threatening their entire quarterly objectives and leaving everyone anxious about potential consequences.
When Jason’s mother asked him to clean his room, he launched into a series of dilatory tactics, such as reorganizing his sock drawer by color, alphabetizing his comic books, and earnestly debating whether dust bunnies counted as endangered species—all carefully designed to postpone the actual cleaning indefinitely.
The sloth, a creature whose existence seemed to be a masterclass in delaying gratification, had a truly dilatory approach to morning ablutions. Each tentative stretch was a performance art piece, a subtle nudge towards further slumber rather than any actual progress towards consciousness.
Every time a decision needs to be made, Mark adopts a dilatory approach, drawing out meetings with unnecessary questions and tangential comments. His colleagues become visibly frustrated, recognizing his behavior as a tactic intended solely to cause delay rather than contribute anything substantive.
The prosecutor’s dilatory tactics were infuriating; each procedural delay, however minor, chipped away at the victim’s family's hope for swift justice. Their calculated slowness to present evidence felt like a deliberate obstruction, a prolonged agony that amplified their already profound suffering.
The project manager sighed, watching Tom meander through his tasks with a dilatory pace that threatened to derail their critical deadline. His languid movements and frequent coffee breaks made it clear he had no sense of urgency, frustrating the entire team who needed the report completed by end of day.
Despite Harold’s dilatory tactics—feigning existential crises, suddenly diagnosing his ficus with a rare wilting disorder, and elaborately alphabetizing his sock drawer—he could not evade the inevitable: his spouse’s insistence on dinner with her combative book club, where Oxford commas sparked more vitriol than Parliament in session.
The procrastinating badger, a creature of unparalleled indolence, employed a dilatory tactic to avoid its impending tax audit. It painstakingly manufactured elaborate excuses, each more preposterous than the last, involving migratory patterns of obscure invertebrates and a sudden, inexplicable craving for artisanal cheese.
Advanced — Less frequent words that stretch an upper-level vocabulary.