What does belated mean?
Word: Belated
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Belated means coming or happening later than it should have, such as wishes sent after a birthday has passed.
Synonyms: delayed, overdue
Antonyms: timely, punctual, early
How do you spell belated?
Syllables: be - lat - ed
Tricky part: There is only one l and only one t. Students who hear the word quickly often double one of them and write bellated or belatted.
Watch out for: bellated, belatted, belaited
Memory tip: Belated has no double letters at all: write each consonant, b, l, t and d, just once.
Belated in a sentence
Example 1: Riya got a belated birthday card from her cousin in Canada a whole week after the party.
Example 2: The town finally received a belated apology from the railway for the cancelled trains.
Example 3: The belated monsoon arrived only in July, and the farmers rushed to sow their paddy.
Fun Fact
Belated began as the past form of an old verb meaning to make someone late, a verb that has now almost vanished from English.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Champ
Choose the correct word for the blank:
A greeting that is sent after the day it was meant for is a ___ greeting.
a) belated
b) punctual
c) seasonal
d) premature
Show answer
a) belated. A premature greeting comes too early and a punctual one comes on time; one that comes after the day is belated.
Sound Check
Which word does not rhyme with 'belated'?
a) heated
b) related
c) created
d) debated
Show answer
a) heated. Heated has the long ee of heat; related, created and debated end with the ayted of belated.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. belated 2. ample 3. feeble a. plentiful b. weak c. tardy
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
d) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
Show answer
c) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b. These are synonym pairs: belated and tardy, ample and plentiful, feeble and weak.
Spell Probe
Fill the blanks with 'e', 'a' and 'e'. Which option gives the meaning of that word?
1. b__l__t__d 2. r__t__t__d 3. s__l__t__d 4. p__l__t__d
a) arriving after the proper time
b) greeted with a raised hand as a mark of respect
c) flew or steered an aircraft or ship
d) turned round and round a fixed point
Show answer
a) arriving after the proper time. Only belated takes e, a and e; saluted needs a, u, e, piloted i, o, e and rotated o, a, e.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which of these would most likely be called belated?
a) an alarm that rings at six as set
b) a cake baked the night before the party
c) a thank-you note sent a month after the gift
d) a train that leaves exactly on time
Show answer
c) a thank-you note sent a month after the gift
2. Why might a present arrive belated?
a) the shop was very close to the house
b) the box was smaller than expected
c) the sender remembered the date only afterwards
d) the present was wrapped in red paper
Show answer
c) the sender remembered the date only afterwards
