retardatory
Definition
- Adjective:
- Tending to cause delay: "retardatory" describes something that has the quality or effect of slowing down, hindering, or making something later than expected.
Usage Examples
- (The process caused delays.)
- (Her tendency to slow things down.)
- (The weather hindered progress.)
Advanced Usage
"retardatory effect": a specific outcome that causes slowing or postponement.
- The new regulations had a retardatory effect on innovation in the industry. (The rules slowed down new developments.)
"retardatory factor": an element that contributes to delay.
- Lack of funding was the primary retardatory factor in the research project. (The main cause of the project's slowness.)
Variants and Related Words
Retardative (adj): having the same meaning as "retardatory"; tending to cause delay.
- The retardative measures were criticized for being too conservative. (The delaying actions.)
Retardation (n): the act or process of slowing down or delaying.
- The retardation of the train schedule caused widespread inconvenience. (The delay in train operations.)
Retard (v): to cause to move more slowly or to delay.
- The heavy traffic retarded our arrival by an hour. (Slowed our arrival.)
Synonyms
- Delaying: causing something to be postponed or happen later.
- Slowing: reducing the speed or progress of something.
- Hindering: creating obstacles that make progress difficult.
- Obstructive: actively blocking or impeding movement or progress.
Antonyms
- Acceleratory: tending to speed up or hasten progress.
- Expeditious: done with speed and efficiency.
Related Idioms
"To put a brake on": to cause something to slow down or stop.
- The new regulations put a brake on the company's expansion plans. (Slowed the expansion.)
"To throw a wrench in the works": to cause a delay or problem in a process.
- The computer malfunction threw a wrench in the works, delaying the report. (Caused a delay.)