dilatoriness
The committee's dilatoriness in making a decision caused a significant delay.
Noun: 1. The quality of being slow or tardy; procrastination: Dilatoriness refers to the characteristic or habit of delaying or being slow to act, often due to a lack of promptness or a tendency to put things off.
Dilatoriness is a formal noun used to describe a state or trait of habitual delay. It often carries a negative connotation, implying criticism for not acting in a timely manner. - It is typically used in contexts discussing behavior, work habits, or administrative processes. - It can be the subject or object of a sentence.
- The project's failure was attributed to the manager's chronic dilatoriness in making crucial decisions.
- Her dilatoriness in responding to emails frustrated her colleagues.
- The dilatoriness of the bureaucratic process is well-known.
- "The dilatoriness of...": A common construction to attribute slowness to a specific entity or system.
- The dilatoriness of the legal system can deny people timely justice.
- Dilatory (adjective): Tending to cause delay; slow or tardy.
- He was criticized for his dilatory tactics.
- Procrastination (noun): The action of delaying or postponing something. (A close synonym, but more focused on the act of putting things off, while dilatoriness describes the resulting quality of slowness.)
- Tardiness (noun): The quality of being late. (Often more specific to punctuality for events, whereas dilatoriness is broader, covering any slow action.)
- Procrastination
- Tardiness
- Slowness
- Delay
- Lethargy (in the sense of sluggishness)
- Promptness
- Punctuality
- Alacrity
- Dispatch
- Expedition
While there is no direct idiom using "dilatoriness," the concept is central to many expressions about delay. - To drag one's feet: To act slowly or reluctantly. - The committee is dragging its feet on the new policy, showing typical dilatoriness. - To put off until tomorrow what you can do today: A proverb describing procrastination, which results in dilatoriness.
The committee's dilatoriness in making a decision caused a significant delay.
- slowness as a consequence of not getting around to it